What Is The Difference Between Special And General Damages?

General damages refer to damages that flow naturally from the wrongdoing. General damages are not specifically monetary. Pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and emotional trauma are the main forms of general damages. These are losses that do not have any tangible bills or costs associated with them, but these are still harms that a person suffers and deserves to be compensated. Examples of general damages include: physical pain and suffering (compensation for being in pain); physical injury or impairment (disfigurement or disability); mental pain and anguish (trauma, stress and anxiety); diminished quality of life (relying on others, lack of mobility, etc.); loss of companionship and support (loss of a family member in a wrongful death case); and loss of a career (the injured victim can no longer work in a specialized career).

Special damages are economic damages and have a monetary value. These include medical expenses or lost wages.These are the injured victim’s out-of-pocket expenses are can be easily calculated. Examples of special damages include: the exact cost of medical bills; the exact amount of lost wages, the loss of an irreplaceable item; the costs of home care; the cost of domestic services; and the costs to repair or replace items of property.