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Insurance

Jun. 29, 2005

'Reprehensibility' Is Key to Validity of Punitive Awards

In State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Campbell , 538 U.S. 408 (2003), the U.S. Supreme Court opined that "an award of more than four times the amount of compensatory damages might be close to the line of constitutional impropriety." Naturally, intermediate courts thereafter addressed this ratio issue.

Rex Heeseman

JAMS

555 W 5th St Fl 32
Los Angeles , CA 90013-1055

Phone: (213) 253-9772

Fax: (213) 620-0100

Email: rheeseman@jamsdar.com

Stanford Univ Law School

Rex Heeseman retired from the Los Angeles Count Superior Court bench in 2014. He is at JAMS, Los Angeles. Besides speaking at various MCLE programs, he co-authors The Rutter Group's practice guide on "Insurance Litigation." From 2002 to 2015, he was an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School.

        
        Focus Column
        
        Litigation
        
        By Rex Heeseman
    &nb...

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