[hchutch]

Wow, that's pretty nice.

We now have a limit on punitive damages, to be specific, 10 times actual harm.

Wonder what Scalia and Thomas were thinking when they dissented, though.

[PoisedWoman]

Justices Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia dissented.

What a peculiar alliance. I wonder why Thomas and Scalia dissented..

[KansasCanadian]

Good deal, I hope this can be made retroactive--the kind of news that will further help the economy

[Dane]

Democratic party lobbyist trial lawyers across the country along with their titular leader, Senator John Edwards(NC) and Democrat Presidential candidate ,are throwing and breaking things across their offices right now, IMO.

[Eva]

Interesting, our state legislature just refused to even consider a Republican tort reform proposal.

[APBaer]

Let me see if I understand this:

If you're a big company and commit an horrendous multi million dollar fraud of widows and orphans, you are protected from the persons you defrauded because the Court says the punishment has to be proportional to the actual damages.

But, as we learned from the Court last week, if you're a poor dumb crook, who swipes a few CDs three times, the Court says the punishment of life imprisionment does *Not* have to be proportional to the actual damages, under the three strikes laws.

So an individual is not protected from the State to the same extent that Dewey Cheatem and Howe is protected from an individual.

[Stay the course]

Opinion: State Farm v. Campbell

[Petronski]

Ten times actual is a little high, but it's a sound principle. However, I'm not comfortable with courts that legislate, as surely this one has done. I like the result, but I hate the method.

[johnb838]

Is this hugh? It sounds hugh to me! I HATE trial lawyers.

[mabelkitty]

I agree.

Maybe they all really really agreed with each other, and drew lots to see which ones received voodoo doll curses from the trial lawyers.

[Mamzelle]

re: Although State Farm eventually paid the entire amount, Campbell and his wife, Inez, sued, saying the insurer unnecessarily forced them to face the possible loss of their property. )))

You mean Campbell disables someone, has to endure a trial for his tort, then decides to take his anguish out of the insurers' hide? This is what was in dispute, that Campbell had to ***worry***?

[lawgirl]

YYEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FirstTomato]

My immediate thought was that this is a good thing, but the fact that it met with dissent from such ideologically different Justices concerns me.