On May 19, 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a $290 million punitive damages judgment entered in a car accident case; the court remanded the case to the California courts for reconsideration in light of a recent High Court decision imposing limits on punitive damages awards. The decision was a victory for WLF, which had filed a brief urging that the lower court decision be overturned. WLF argued that the $290 million punitive damages award violated the car manufacturer’s due process rights. WLF argued that simply because a defendant is wealthy is no reason to increase the size of a punitive damages award, and that the trial court should not have allowed the jury to impose damages based on the manufacturer’s alleged misconduct in other states.
Ford Motor Co. v. Romo
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