Bill > S958

This bill aims to amend the existing laws in Massachusetts to provide legal recourse for the wrongful death or injury of animal companions. The key provisions are as follows: 1. It defines "animal-companion" as a dog, cat, or any warm-blooded, domesticated non-human animal that is dependent on one or more human persons for food, shelter, veterinary care, or companionship. This definition excludes animals used for legal, humane farming practices, biomedical research, or activities regulated by the federal Animal Welfare Act. 2. It establishes that a person who willfully, wantonly, recklessly, or negligently kills an animal-companion is liable for damages, including the fair monetary value of the deceased animal, loss of companionship, burial expenses, court costs, and attorney's fees, with a cap of $25,000 on non-economic damages. 3. Similarly, it states that a person who willfully, wantonly, recklessly, or negligently injures an animal-companion is liable for damages, including veterinary and other special medical care expenses, loss of companionship, court costs, and attorney's fees, with a cap of $25,000 on non-economic damages. 4. The bill also provides a timeline for filing a tort action related to injuries sustained by an animal-companion, which must be commenced within three years from the date of injury or the date when the aggrieved party knew, or should have known, of the factual basis for a cause of action.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S958