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Article: Punitive damages dispute may reach California high court.
- Article from:
- Trial
- Article date:
- February 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The California Supreme Court could soon be called on to determine whether a strict ratio should exist between punitive and compensatory damages in that state, following conflicting rulings by two state appellate courts.
The rulings represent significantly different interpretations of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Campbell, in which the U.S. Supreme Court deemed excessive a punitive damages award that was 145 times the compensatory damages. (123S. Ct. 1513 (2003).)
In Romo v. Ford Motor Co., the Fifth District Court of Appeal--after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered it to reconsider its earlier affirmation of a punitive damages award in light ...