State cap on punitive damages constitutional 
Published: May 17, 2013
Tags: clergy sex abuse, damages cap, punitive damages
A state law that places a $50,000 cap on a personal injury plaintiff’s punitive damages does not violate the state constitution, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled in reversing judgment.
Court reverses itself in striking $3.5M punitive award against Chrysler 
Published: May 16, 2013
Tags: hostile environment, punitive damages, race discrimination, religious discrimination, Title VII
A Chrysler employee failed to produce sufficient evidence of malice or recklessness to justify a substantial award of punitive damages in a Title VII hostile environment case, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
Benchmarks: Indiana Supremes restore cap on punitive damages 
By:
Pat Murphy
Published: May 16, 2013
Tags: clergy sex abuse, damage caps, punitive damages, right to jury trial, separation of powers
The Indiana Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling that the state’s $50,000 cap on punitive damages violated a personal injury plaintiff’s right to a jury trial.
$500K punitive award upheld in age-bias case 
Published: February 8, 2013
Tags: age bias, age discrimination, punitive damages, retaliation
An age discrimination plaintiff presented sufficient evidence of outrageous conduct by his former employer to support a jury’s award of $500,000 in punitive damages, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in affirming judgment.
Punitive damages reduce insured’s UIM coverage 
Published: February 5, 2013
Tags: punitive damages, underinsured motorist coverage
An insurance company was entitled to reduce its liability for underinsured motorist coverage by an amount equal to the punitive damages paid to its insured by a drunk driver, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in affirming judgment.
$28M punitive award cannot stand in plane crash suit 
Published: January 28, 2013
Tags: aviation litigation, product liability, punitive damages
Evidence failed to support an award of $28 million in punitive damages against the manufacturer of a defective part that allegedly caused a fatal airplane crash, the Missouri Court of Appeals has ruled in affirming judgment.
Anger over outsourced medical transcription errors yields $140M verdict 
By:
Correy Stephenson
Published: January 21, 2013
Tags: diabetes, insulin, medical malpractice, medical transcription, Medusind, Precyse Solutions, punitive damages, Thomas Hospital, Top Ten Jury Verdicts, Top Ten Jury Verdicts of 2012
Sharron Juno died because of a typo.
A lifelong diabetic, Juno had her insulin dosage dictated by her doctor in Alabama but transcribed by an outsourced sub-contractor in India, who wrote “80” instead of “8.”
Legal malpractice plaintiff can’t recover ‘lost’ punitives 
Published: December 31, 2012
Tags: legal malpractice, malpractice, punitive damages
A legal malpractice plaintiff could not recover lost punitive damages when suing an attorney who allegedly mishandled her personal injury case, the Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled.
Anger over outsourced medical errors yields $140 million verdict 
By:
Correy Stephenson
Published: December 21, 2012
Tags: medical malpractice, medical transcription, medication errors, outsourcing, punitive damages, wrongful death
Sharron Juno died because of a typo.
A lifelong diabetic, Juno had her insulin dosage dictated by her doctor in Alabama but transcribed by an outsourced sub-contractor in India, who wrote “80” instead of “8.”
Juno passed away after receiving a dose ten times what it should be.
The jury’s anger at the defendants – Thomas Hospital in Fairhope, Ala. and the outsourcing companies it contracted with – drove the $140 million verdict, said Skip Finkbohner, who represented the plaintiff’s family.
Benchmarks: Used car seller on the hook for $100K punitive award 
Published: December 20, 2012
Tags: consumer protection, debt collection, punitive damages
An Oregon car dealership learned yesterday that it is stuck paying $100,000 in punitive damages to a car buyer who suffered only $500 in economic harm from the dealership’s unlawful collection practices.
