Damages Calculation and Legal Costs Allocation in Liability Case Involving Free Legal Aid Successors

The court addressed the calculation of damages for care, support, and household expenses, as well as the allocation of legal costs in a liability case where the initial plaintiff had been granted free legal aid. The court adjusted the lower court's calculation for increased household costs by applying a specific monthly hour standard and an hourly rate that the defendants had not successfully contested, limiting liability to the period before the victim's expected loss of independence. Furthermore, the court determined a daily care and support duration and hourly rate based on expert findings of continuous but partial dependency, ultimately setting the rate based on the household expense standard rather than a specialized nursing rate. The court also awarded compensation for "presence time" due to the continuous need for supervision, concluding that the successors, having entered the pending litigation, assumed the full litigation risk, which governed the cost allocation despite the original partial free legal aid.