MS · jury_instructions
Proposed Mississippi Plain Language Model Jury Instructions - Civil 2520
Negligence - Parents Responsible for Property Damage Intentionally Done by Children
General Instruction
[Name of plaintiff] claims that [name(s) of defendant(s)]’s [child/children] intentionally
damaged or destroyed [name of plaintiff]’s property and that [name(s) of defendant(s)] [is/are]
legally responsible for [name of plaintiff]’s damages. To establish this claim, [name of plaintiff]
must prove all of the following are more likely true than not true:
1. [Name(s) of defendant(s)] [is/are] the parent(s) of [name(s) of child or children], who [is/are]
more than 10 and less than 18 years old; and
2. [Name(s) of child or children] intentionally and with malice damaged or destroyed
_________________ [describe property], which [is/was] owned by [name of plaintiff].
Definition(s) in this Instruction:
In this instruction, “malice” means a person intentionally does something wrong without
having a valid reason or excuse.
Verdict Form
We answer the questions submitted to us as follows:
1. [Is/Are] [name(s) of defendant(s)] the parent(s) of [name(s) of child or children], who [is/are]
more than 10 and less than 18 years old?
YES _______ NO _______
If your answer to question 1 is YES, then answer question 2. If you answered NO, stop
here and tell the bailiff.
2. Did [name(s) of child or children] intentionally and with malice damage or destroy
_________________ [describe property], which [is/was] owned by [name of plaintiff]?
YES _______ NO _______
If your answer to question 2 is YES, then answer question 3. If you answered NO, stop
here and tell the bailiff.
3. What are [name of plaintiff]’s damages?
$__________ TOTAL
History
Proposed Mississippi Plain Language Model Jury Instructions - Civil 2520 (current as of February 17, 2012). Submitted in 2012 by the Mississippi Model Jury Instructions Commission (created by the Supreme Court of Mississippi by order of December 30, 2008) and published by the Court on courts.ms.gov. The Court states that these model jury instructions have not been adopted or approved by the Supreme Court of Mississippi.
Provenance
- Source
- courts.ms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-25
- Edition
- 2026-09-25
- Content hash
94ad40283d869beffb23ab5c77f82c0175bf81625b9ed7dc2e9731eb73bf6c2f
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