Orson D. Munn Iii, Et. al. v. the Hotchkiss School

Summary

The court answered two certified questions from the Second Circuit. It held that Connecticut public policy permits imposing on a school organizing an educational trip abroad a duty to warn about and take reasonable precautions against foreseeable serious insect-borne diseases, and it held that the approximately $41.5 million damages award did not warrant remittitur. The court concluded that the school-student relationship, the foreseeability of serious disease risks, the availability of simple precautions, and the absence of a compelling policy exception supported the duty, while the severe and permanent nature of the plaintiff's injuries supported the damages award.