Munn v. Hotchkiss School

Summary

The court answered two certified questions concerning a private boarding school’s responsibility for a student who contracted tick-borne encephalitis during a school-sponsored trip to China. It held that Connecticut public policy permits imposing a duty to warn about and reasonably protect against foreseeable serious insect-borne diseases, and that the approximately $41.5 million damages award did not warrant remittitur. The court deferred to the jury and federal trial court on damages because the award was supported by the severity and permanence of the student’s injuries and was not shown to result from prejudice or mistake.