"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted"
-- 8th Amendment to the United States Constitution
seriously, this is a major problem
Right. 8th and 1st and a few others.
This may well go to SCOTUS.
The accusers failed to prove any substantial losses rising to this level of financial punishment. This is setting a ridiculous new precedent. You hurt my feelings, now fork over your cash. This is extortion.
Plainly the “ruling” needs to be appealed as violating the First, Eighth and Thirteenth Amendments, as applied to the state by prevailing judicial interpretations of the Fourteenth.