Dodson v. MFA Insurance Company

WELBORN, Commissioner.

Action for malicious prosecution. Jury awarded plaintiff $15,000 actual damages and $200,000 punitive damages. Defendants’ motion for new trial was overruled; judgment entered on verdict; defendants appealed.

In March, 1962, plaintiff John Dodson resided at Brookfield, Missouri. He was then some 36 years of age, a veteran of World War II who had lost a leg in that war, and had had less than one year of high school education. In November, 1961, Dodson purchased a 1961 GMC truck from Gilbert Motor & Oil Co. of Brunswick. The price of the truck was $4,342. Dodson paid $525…