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Sponsor seeks to raise Maryland cap on veterinary compensatory damages to $25,000
Summary
House Bill 438 ("Buddy's Law") would raise the civil cap on compensatory damages for serious injury or death of a pet from $10,000 (set in 2017) to $25,000, sponsors and pet owners told the Judiciary Committee, citing rising emergency veterinary costs and examples of malpractice or injury exceeding the cap.
Delegate Sandy Bartlett presented House Bill 438 to the House Judiciary Committee as an update to the state’s cap on compensatory damages for pets injured or killed by another’s conduct. The bill would raise Maryland’s statutory cap from $10,000 to $25,000 to better reflect emergency veterinary costs and related expenses.
Bartlett described variability in emergency veterinary bills—24/7 operation, advanced diagnostics and specialist care—and said the bill would not guarantee awards…
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