Punitive damages
| Author | Jim Wren/Laura Brown |
| Pages | 437-460 |
PUNITIVE DAMAGES
19-1
CHAPTER 19
PUNITIVE DAMAGES
I. THE STRATEGY OF PUNITIVE DAMAGES
§19:01 Punitive Damages Awards Are Rare
§19:02 Different Jurisdictions Have Different Requirements
§19:03 Danger of Pleading Punitive Damages
§19:04 Considerations for Pleading Punitive Damages
II. PUNITIVE DAMAGES IN THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
§19:10 General Points
§19:11 Pacific Mutual v. Haslip
§19:12 TXO Production v. Alliance Resources
§19:13 BMW of North America v. Gore
§19:14 Kolstad v. American Dental Association
§19:15 Cooper Industries v. Leatherman Tool
§19:16 State Farm Mutual v. Campbell
§19:17 Phillip Morris USA v. Williams
§19:18 Exxon Shipping v. Baker
§19:19 Atlantic Sounding v. Townsend
III. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PUNITIVE DAMAGES
§19:30 Easy to Understand and Morally Clear
§19:31 Defendant’s Lack of Remorse or Denial of Responsibility
§19:32 Defendant’s Dishonesty or Hypocrisy
§19:33 Defendant’s Pride or Arrogance
§19:34 Intentional Bad Choices
§19:35 Seriousness of the Plaintiff’s Injury
§19:36 Time Relationship Between the Bad Acts and the Injury
§19:37 Effect of the Bad Acts on a Large Population
§19:38 Difficulty of Detection or Low Likelihood of Suit
§19:39 Social Importance of the Verdict
§19:40 Wealth of the Defendant
§19:41 Anti-Corporate Bias vs. Anti-Plaintiff Bias
IV. ANTICIPATING COMMON DEFENSE TACTICS
§19:50 Plaintiff’s Lack of Accountability
§19:51 Defendant’s Good Faith Despite Rogue Employees
§19:52 Challenging Discoverability or Admissibility of Defendant’s Wealth
§19:53 Challenging Jury Instructions
PUNITIVE DAMAGES
Proving Damages to the Jury 19-2
V. BUILDING PUNITIVE DAMAGES IN DISCOVERY
A. Potential Sources
§19:60 AAJ Exchange
§19:61 Government Records
§19:62 Employees and Insiders
B. Seven Key Questions
§19:70 What Is the Danger?
§19:71 What Did the Defendant Know About the Danger?
§19:72 What Standards Should Have Guided the Defendant’s Response to the Danger?
§19:73 Did the Defendant Consciously Violate Those Standards?
§19:74 Why Did the Defendant Consciously Violate Those Standards?
§19:75 What Has the Defendant Done Since?
§19:76 What Will Make a Difference for the Future?
VI. ADDRESSING PUNITIVE DAMAGES IN VOIR DIRE
§19:80 The Topic Must Be Raised Early
§19:81 Help Jurors Think About the Deterrent Benefits
§19:82 Deal With Concerns
§19:83 Help Jurors Think About What They Will Need
VII. ADDRESSING PUNITIVE DAMAGES IN ARGUMENT
§19:90 Address the Ratio of Punitive to Actual Damages
§19:91 Focus on the Deterrent Aspect
§19:92 Be Cautious About Passion
VIII. FORMS & SAMPLES
19-1 Model Defense Jury Instructions
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