Kowalsky v. Egyptair

307 F. Supp. 2d 465, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3625, 2004 WL 434209
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedMarch 9, 2004
DocketNos. 00-MD-1344, 00-CV-5409, 00-CV-5410(FB)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 307 F. Supp. 2d 465 (Kowalsky v. Egyptair) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kowalsky v. Egyptair, 307 F. Supp. 2d 465, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3625, 2004 WL 434209 (E.D.N.Y. 2004).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

BLOCK, District Judge.

Plaintiffs Mark Kowalsky, personal representative of the estates of Edith and Larry Kowalsky, and Bernard Shapiro, personal representative of the estates of [467]*467Joan and Norman Shapiro, have brought suit seeking non-pecuniary damages pursuant to the Death on the High Seas Act (“DOHSA”), 46 U.S.C §§ 761-768. The two cases were consolidated for trial, which transpired on October 21, 2003. The following constitutes the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law.

FINDINGS OF FACT

On October 31, 1999, Edith and Larry Kowalsky and Joan and Norman Shapiro were among the passengers on Egypt Air Flight 990, which was scheduled to travel from New York City to Cairo, Egypt. The two couples were traveling together on vacation. After departing from Kennedy International Airport, the aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in international waters, approximately sixty miles from Nantucket Island. There were no survivors.

At the time of the crash, Larry Kowal-sky was 74, Edith Kowalsky 68. They were survived by four sons, Steven, Howard, Mark and Jeffrey, who were then 46, 44, 41 and 33, respectively. Norman Shapiro was 70, Joan Shapiro 64. They were survived by two sons and a daughter, Robert, Larry and Helene, who were then 40, 38 and 34, respectively. In addition, Joan Shapiro was survived by her mother, Frances Bonner, who passed away on March 15, 2002; Norman Shapiro was survived by both of his parents, Blanche and Joseph Shapiro, who passed away on August 7, 2000 and September 29, 2000, respectively. The parties agree that at the time of death Larry Kowalsky had a life expectancy of 10.7 years, Edith Kowalsky 17 years, Norman Shapiro 13 years, and Joan Shapiro 20 years.

At issue is the sum of money each of the surviving children, as well as the estates of the surviving parents of the Shapiros, are entitled to recover under DOSHA for the loss of the “care, comfort and companionship” of the decedents.

Based on the testimony of the witnesses and the exhibits, the Court finds that the surviving children were extremely close to their parents. For example, all of the Kowalsky sons lived within four miles of their parents’ home at the time of the crash. See Trial Transcript (“Tr.”) at 44. Even as adults, they all continued to see their parents almost every week. See Tr. at 30-33, 43-44, 67-68. Two of the Shapiro children were living with their parents at the time of the crash. See Tr. at 80. The closeness of each family unit was manifested by the frequency of family get-togethers and the ubiquitous outpouring of love and affection visited by the Kowalskys and Shapiros upon each of their children. Given the closeness of all the children to their parents and the almost daily intertwining of the children’s lives with their parents’, there is no rational basis to distinguish between each child’s loss of care, comfort and companionship.

As for the Shapiros’ parents, there was credible testimony from Norman Shapiro’s brother, Bernard, attesting to the loss of the care, comfort and companionship suffered by the elderly parents of Joan and Norman Shapiro during their few remaining years after their children died. See Tr. at 99-103.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

The parties agree that the Court has subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1333, treaty jurisdiction pursuant to Article 28 of the Warsaw Convention, and that venue is appropriate pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391(c).

The Court has previously discussed the damages available under DOSHA in In re Air Crash Near Nantucket Island, Mass., On October 31, 1999, 2002 WL 32302598 (E.D.N.Y.2002), to which the parties are [468]*468referred. As explained therein, prior to April of 2000, damages under DOSHA were limited to pecuniary damages. DO-SHA was then amended, retroactive to deaths occurring after July 16, 1996, to also permit recovery for “non-pecuniary damages for wrongful death.”1 The amended statute defined non-pecuniary damages to mean “damages for loss of care, comfort, and companionship.” 46 U.S.C.S Appx. § 762(b)(2).

“Care, comfort and companionship” are not defined in DOHSA and no other court has construed the scope of these terms. However, in analogous maritime wrongful death actions, see 46 U.S.C.S. Appx. § 761(a) (DOSHA actions deemed to be “in admiralty”), the term “society” has been defined to include “the range of mutual benefits each family member receives from the other’s continued existence, including love, affection, care, attention, companionship, comfort, and protection.” Sea-Land, Services, Inc. v. Gaudet, 414 U.S. 573, 585, 94 S.Ct. 806, 39 L.Ed.2d 9 (1974); see also Giglio v. Farrell, 424 F.Supp. 927, 929 (S.D.N.Y.1977) (“[L]oss of society” defined as “including love, affection, care, attention, companionship, comfort and protection”). The Gaudet court made clear that loss of society does not encompass mental anguish or grief. See Gaudet, 414 U.S. at 585, n. 17, 94 S.Ct. 806; see also Mobil Oil Corp. v. Higginbotham, 436 U.S. 618, 623, n. 17, 98 S.Ct. 2010, 56 L.Ed.2d 581 (1978) (“The award contemplated by Gaudet is especially difficult to compute, for the jury must calculate the value of the lost love and affection without awarding damages for the survivors’ grief and mental anguish, even though that grief is probably the most tangible expression of the survivors’ emotional loss.”). The parties agree that “loss of society” and loss of “care, comfort and companionship” should be interpreted as essentially identical in meaning. See Plaintiffs Post-Trial Submission at 18; Defendant’s Post-Trial Submission at 7.

In the case of pecuniary damages, DOSHA has been construed to permit recovery for “[losses] sustained by the decedent’s [spouse] ... parent, child or dependent relative.” Oldham v. Korean Air Lines, Ltd., 127 F.3d 43, 54 (D.C.Cir.1997). Since non-pecuniary damages are “additional compensation ... for wrongful death of a decedent,” 46 U.S.C.S. Appx. § 762(b)(1), such damages should also extend to these survivors.

While the parties agree that damages for the loss of care, comfort and companionship are warranted, they sharply dispute the appropriate amount of compensation. The parties also disagree whether there is sufficient evidence to support awarding such damages to the estates of the parents of Joan and Norman Shapiro. They further dispute whether prejudgment interest is appropriate, and the method for determining present value discounting.

1. Present Value Discounting

It is established law in this circuit that awards for non-pecuniary losses should be discounted to present value, but that this discounting should not be conducted with the statistical precision used for discounting future earnings.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re Air Crash Near Nantucket Island, Mass., on 10/31/1999
307 F. Supp. 2d 465 (E.D. New York, 2004)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
307 F. Supp. 2d 465, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3625, 2004 WL 434209, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kowalsky-v-egyptair-nyed-2004.