A recent article in The Advocate, “The Animal World Takes a Special Place in Society and Our Courtrooms,” argued that the changing demographics of society (where animals often become part of the family) warrant a new approach to economic and non-economic damages awarded for harm to a domestic animal.
This article illustrates the opposing viewpoint: that Idaho law already fully and fairly compensates an animal owner for loss of a pet; including awarding economic damages for the value of an animal, and provides for additional damages in situations where outrageous conduct may warrant it.
