Copyright 1995-1999 Touch N' Go Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No claim made to official government works.
Subject to the provisions of Rule 54(b): (1) upon a general verdict of a jury, or upon a decision by the court that a party shall recover only a sum certain or costs or that all relief shall be denied, the court or the clerk, upon direction of the court, shall forthwith enter the judgment; (2) upon a decision by the court granting other relief, or upon a special verdict or a general verdict accompanied by answers to interrogatories, the court shall promptly enter judgment. Every judgment shall be set forth on a separate document. The entry of the judgment shall not be delayed for the taxing of costs, but a blank space may be left in the form of judgment for insertion of costs by the clerk after they have been taxed.
(Adopted by SCO 5 October 9, 1959; amended by SCO 258 effective November 15, 1976; by SCO 554 effective April 4, 1983; by SCO 1281 effective August 7, 1997; and by SCO 1295 effective January 15, 1998)
NOTE: Ch. 139, § 7, SLA 1986, provided that AS 09.17.040 and 09.17.080, enacted by ch. 139, § 1, SLA 1986, amended Civil Rule 58 by requiring the court to include a specific item in its judgment.
Sec. 09.17.040. Award of damages. (a) In every case where damages for personal injury are awarded by the court or jury, the verdict shall be itemized between economic loss and noneconomic loss, if any, as follows:
(1) past economic loss;
(2) past noneconomic loss;
(3) future economic loss;
(4) future noneconomic loss; and
(5) punitive damages.
(b) The fact finder shall reduce future economic damages to present value. In computing the portion of a lump-sum award that is attributable to future economic loss, the fact finder shall determine the present amount that, if invested at long-term future interest rates in the best and safest investments will produce over the life expectancy of the injured party the amount necessary to compensate the injured party for
(1) the amount of wages the injured party could have been expected to earn during future years, taking into account future anticipated inflation and reasonably anticipated increases in the injured party's earnings; and
(2) the amount of money necessary during future years to provide for all additional economic losses related to the injury, taking into account future anticipated inflation.
(c) Subsection (b) of this section does not apply to future economic damages if the parties agree that the award of future damages may be computed under the rule adopted in the case of Beaulieu v. Elliott, 434 P2d 655 (Alaska 1967).
(d) In an action to recover damages, the court shall, at the request of an injured party, enter judgment ordering that amounts awarded a judgment creditor for future damages be paid to the maximum extent feasible by periodic payments rather than by a lump-sum payment.
(e) The court may require security be posted, in order to ensure that funds are available as periodic payments become due. The court may not require security to be posted if an authorized insurer, as defined in AS 21.90.900, acknowledges to the court its obligation to discharge the judgment.
(f) A judgment ordering payment of future damages by periodic payment shall specify the recipient, the dollar amount of the payments, the interval between payments, and the number of payments in the period of time over which payments shall be made. Payments may be modified only in the event of the death of the judgment creditor, in which case payments may not be reduced or terminated, but shall be paid to persons to whom the judgment creditor owed a duty of support, as provided by law, immediately before death. In the event the judgment creditor owed no duty of support to dependents at the time of the judgment creditor's death, the money remaining shall be distributed in accordance with a will of the deceased judgment creditor accepted into probate or under the intestate laws of the state if the deceased had no will.
(g) If the court finds that the judgment debtor has exhibited a continuing pattern of failing to make payments required under (c) of this section, the court shall, in addition to the required periodic payments, order the judgment debtor to pay the judgment creditor any damages caused by the failure to make periodic payments, including costs and attorney fees. (§ 1 ch. 139 SLA 1986)
Sec. 09.17.080. Apportionment of damages. (a) In all actions involving fault of more than one party to the action, including third-party defendants and persons who have been released under AS 09.17.090, the court, unless otherwise agreed by all parties, shall instruct the jury to answer special interrogatories or, if there is no jury, shall make findings, indicating:
(1) the amount of damages each claimant would be entitled to recover if contributory fault is disregarded; and
(2) the percentage of the total fault of all of the parties to each claim that is allocated to each claimant, defendant, third-party defendant, and person who has been released from liability under AS 09.17.090.
(b) In determining the percentages of fault, the trier of fact shall consider both the nature of the conduct of each party at fault, and the extent of the causal relation between the conduct and the damages claimed. The trier of fact may determine that two or more persons are to be treated as a single party if their conduct was a cause of the damages claimed and the separate act or omission of each person cannot be distinguished.
(c) The court shall determine the award of damages to each claimant in accordance with the findings, subject to a reduction under AS 09.17.090, and enter judgment against each party liable. The court also shall determine and state in the judgment each party's equitable share of the obligation to each claimant in accordance with the respective percentages of fault.
(d) The court shall enter judgment against each party liable on the basis of joint and several liability, except that a party who is allocated less than 50 percent of the total fault allocated to all the parties may not be jointly liable for more than twice the percentage of fault allocated to that party. (§ 1 ch. 139 SLA 1986)
NOTE: Ch. 26, § 10, SLA 1997 repeals and reenacts AS 09.17.020 concerning punitive damages. New AS 09.17.020(j) requires that 50 percent of an award of punitive damages be deposited in the state general fund. This provision applies to causes of action accruing on or after August 7, 1997. See ch. 26, § 55, SLA 1997. According to § 49 of the Act, new AS 09.17.020(j) has the effect of amending Civil Rule 58 by requiring the court to order that a certain percentage of an award of punitive damages be deposited into the general fund.
NOTE: Ch. 26, § 19, SLA 1997 amends AS 09.30.070 by adding subsection (c) concerning prejudgment interest on awards of future economic damages, future noneconomic damages, and punitive damages. This provision applies to causes of action accruing on or after August 7, 1997. See ch. 26, § 55, SLA 1997. According to § 53 of the Act, new AS 09.30.070(c) has the effect of amending Civil Rule 58 by providing that prejudgment interest may not be awarded for future economic or noneconomic damages or punitive damages.
NOTE: Sections 41, 43, 45, and 46 of chapter 87 SLA 1997 amend AS 25.20.050(n), AS 25.24.160(d), AS 25.24.210(e), and AS 25.24.230(i), respectively, to require that an order or acknowledgement of paternity, a divorce decree, a petition for dissolution of marriage, and a dissolution decree include the social security number of each party to the action and each child whose rights are being addressed. According to § 151 of the Act, these provisions have the effect of amending Civil Rules 52, 58, 78, and 90.1 by requiring the court to include social security numbers, if ascertainable, of parties and children in certain petitions, pleadings, and judgments.
Cross References
CROSS REFERENCES: AS 90.30.010; AS 09.30.020
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Copyright 1995-1999 by Touch N' Go Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. No copyright claim is made to the text of the rules.
Last Modified 7/14/1999
