Mississippi Property & Casualty Practice Exam

What is typically considered a general type of compensatory damage?

1. Loss of property value

2. Medical expenses

3. Funeral costs

4. Pain and suffering

The correct answer is: Pain and suffering

Compensatory damages are designed to compensate an injured party for losses incurred due to another's actions. The category of general compensatory damages typically encompasses non-economic losses, which include pain and suffering. This type of damage is awarded to account for the emotional and physical distress that a victim has experienced as a result of an injury, making it fundamentally distinct from more tangible, quantifiable losses. While loss of property value, medical expenses, and funeral costs are all valid forms of compensatory damages, they fall under the category of special or economic damages, which can be calculated with more certainty. Pain and suffering, on the other hand, is inherently subjective and varies from person to person, reflecting the unique experience of the injured party. Thus, it is classified as a general type of compensatory damage due to its focus on the qualitative aspect of loss rather than quantitative.