On June 10, WLF urged the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to cap punitive-damages awards. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania held that States have almost unlimited authority to authorize punitive damages—here, over eleven times the compensatory-damages award. WLF’s brief explains why the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause limits punitive damages to the amount of compensatory damages when the compensatory-damages award is substantial. The brief also explains why the ratio cannot go above 1:1 based on potential harm.
Documents