Punitive damages issues in case

Trial Notebook

By Steven P. Garmisa

Hoey & Farina

Posted July 27, 2021 12:53 PM

Updated July 27, 2021 3:43 PM

(This is part two of a two-part series. Part one is available on chicagolawbulletin.com)In a case where the plaintiff scored $2.8 million in exemplary awards on top of $250,000 in compensatory damages, the defendants argued the punitive damages were unconstitutionally excessive. Four defendants — who claimed that the ratio of punitive to compensatory damages was 11.2 to one — were tagged for an alleged “attempt to steal” Northwest Insurance Services, a company (referred to as NWI) valued at $9.4 …

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