Cleary v. McCluskey,

• Jurisdiction: New Brunswick
• Judge: Turnbull, Drapeau and Robertson, JJ.A.
• Neutral Citation: 2002 NBCA 45
• Citation: (2002), 252 N.B.R.(2d) 10 (CA),2002 NBCA 45,252 NBR (2d) 10,[2002] NBJ No 216 (QL),252 NBR(2d) 10,(2002), 252 NBR(2d) 10 (CA),[2002] N.B.J. No 216 (QL),252 N.B.R.(2d) 10
• Date: 30 May 2002
• Court: Court of Appeal (New Brunswick)

Cleary v. McCluskey (2002), 252 N.B.R.(2d) 10 (CA);

    252 R.N.-B.(2e) 10; 658 A.P.R. 10

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[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

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Temp. Cite: [2002] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. JN.048

Robin L. Cleary (plaintiff/appellant) v. Krista A. McCluskey (defendant/respondent)

(138/01/CA; 2002 NBCA 45)

Indexed As: Cleary v. McCluskey

New Brunswick Court of Appeal

Turnbull, Drapeau and Robertson, JJ.A.

June 20, 2002.

Summary:

The plaintiff sued the defendant for a moder­ate soft tissue injury suffered to her neck and back in a motor vehicle accident. The issue was damages.

The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, in a decision reported [2001] N.B.R.(2d) (Supp.) No. 70, awarded the plaintiff, inter alia, $30,000 for general damages and $25,000 for loss of earning capacity. The plaintiff appealed.

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

Damage Awards - Topic 11

Injury and death - General - Continuing pain (incl. fibromyalgia, myofascial and chronic pain) - [See Damage Awards - Topic 71 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 71

Injury and death - Body injuries - Back - Soft tissue injuries - Cleary, a female third year law student, sued McCluskey for a moderate soft tissue injury suffered to her neck and back in a 1995 motor vehicle accident - Cleary claimed that she had developed myofascial pain and fibromyal­gia - She continued to study/work with discomfort and was admitted to the bar in 1996 - Since 1997, she had worked as a law office administrator - She claimed damages based on the loss of her legal career - The trial judge accepted that Cleary's injury developed into myofascial pain - However, Cleary failed to prove a causal connection between her fibromyal­gia symptoms and the accident trauma - Cleary's physical condition did not prevent her from obtaining an acceptable legal position - The court awarded $30,000 for general damages and $25,000 for loss of earning capacity - The New Brunswick Court of Appeal dismissed Cleary's appeal - The non-pecuniary damage award was at the high end of the spectrum in the cir­cumstances - The court questioned the validity of the award for future loss of earning capacity.

Damage Awards - Topic 179

Injury and death - Neck injuries - Soft tissue injuries - [See Damage Awards - Topic 71 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 492

Injury and death - General damage awards - Loss of earning capacity - [See Damage Awards - Topic 71 ].

Cases Noticed:

Elliott v. Nicholson (1998), 171 N.S.R.(2d) 252; 519 A.P.R. 252 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 19].

Kinsella v. Logan et al. (1996), 179 N.B.R.(2d) 161; 455 A.P.R. 161 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 20].

King v. Buckley et al. (1997), 195 N.B.R.(2d) 1; 499 A.P.R. 1 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 20].

Scott v. Renton et al. (1999), 215 N.B.R.(2d) 263; 551 A.P.R. 263 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 20].

St-Jean v. Mercier (2002), 282 N.R. 310; 209 D.L.R.(4th) 513 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 20].

Snell v. Farrell, [1990] 2 S.C.R. 311; 110 N.R. 200; 107 N.B.R.(2d) 94; 267 A.P.R. 94, refd to. [para. 20].

Boucher v. Doiron (2000), 230 N.B.R.(2d) 247; 593 A.P.R. 247 (C.A.), leave to appeal denied (2001), 271 N.R. 396; 240 N.B.R.(2d) 402; 622 A.P.R. 402 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 26].

Bertin v. Kristoffersen et al. (2001), 244 N.B.R.(2d) 315; 634 A.P.R. 315 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 26].

Legood v. Atlantic Wholesalers Ltd., [2002] N.B.R.(2d) (Supp.) No. 5 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 27].

Dashwood v. Pillars Club & Lounge Inc., [2002] N.B.R.(2d) (Supp.) No. 32 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 29].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Cooper-Stephenson, Kenneth D., and Saun­ders, Iwan B., Personal Injury Dam­ages in Canada (2nd Ed. 1996), pp. 203, 204 [para. 26].

Counsel:

John D. Townsend, Q.C., for the appellant;

Lucie Richard and Jade A. Spalding, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on May 30, 2002, before Turnbull, Drapeau and Robertson, JJ.A., of the New Brunswick Court of Ap­peal. Drapeau, J.A., delivered the follow­ing judgment for the Court of Appeal on June 20, 2002.