Section 6 General Damages

• Library: Damages 2012

“An ‘injury’ as an invasion of a legally protected right may cause either general or special damages.” Porter v. Crawford & Co., 611 S.W.2d 265, 271 (Mo. App. W.D. 1980). “‘Damages both general and special constitute but a single element, albeit a necessary one, of a tort.’” Id. (quoting Travelers Indem. Co. v. Chumbley, 394 S.W.2d 418, 422 (Mo. App. S.D. 1965)).

General damages are those that the law implies or presumes to have occurred as the natural and logical consequence of a defendant’s wrongful act. McMahon v. Kansas City Rys. Co., 233 S.W. 64, 66 (Mo. App. W.D. 1921). Special damages are those that actually result from the wrong complained of but are not such a necessary result that they are implied by law. See:

Parsons Constr. Co. v. Mo. Pub. Serv. Co., 425 S.W.2d 166, 173 (Mo. 1968) Porter, 611 S.W.2d 265Condos v. Associated Transps., Inc., 453 S.W.2d 682, 688 (Mo. App. E.D. 1970) Travelers Indem. Co., 394 S.W.2d 418

General damages are not...