Law School Case Briefs
Start by searching for a case name or citation above.
Discover a Random Brief
James Depass v. United States
Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (1984) | 721 F.2d 203
TL;DR: A plaintiff whose leg was amputated sought damages for a shortened life expectancy based on a statistical study. The court affirmed the denial of these damages, finding the probabilistic evidence too speculative to meet the plaintiff's burden of proof.
Legal Significance: This case highlights the challenge of proving future harm, demonstrating that purely statistical evidence of an increased risk of injury, without more, may be deemed too speculative to support a damages award under the preponderance of the evidence standard.