Question

The owner of a collection of old anvils lent it to the local museum and hired professional movers to transport the anvils to the second floor of the museum, where they would be displayed. The movers used a rope and pulley apparatus to lift the anvils on the outside of the building to a second-story window. While one of the largest anvils was being lifted, it slipped and fell, crashing to the ground. However, the anvil was not even dented. If the owner brings a negligence action against the movers for allowing the antique anvil to fall, what can the owner recover

Answer 1

Neither nominal damages nor punitive damages.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nominal damage is defined as money from a defendant that is awarded to a plaintiff for a legal wrong. The amount awarded does not meet up to the financial loss incurred.

Punitive damage is the type that is awarded to punish the defendant for an injury or wrong done to a plaintiff. This is also called exemplary damages.

In the given scenario the owner will not be able to recover either punitive or nominal damages from the movers.

This is because movers used a rope and pulley apparatus to lift the anvils on the outside of the building to a second-story window. This was aimed at not harming anyone within the building.

Also when it fell the anvil was not even dented.

So there was no basis for the negligence charge as there was no injury inflicted.