Kelly v. Haag

Opinion

McCONNELL, P. J.

In this fraud case, the issue on appeal is whether substantial evidence supports the trial court’s assessment of $75,000 in punitive damages against defendant Jeffrey L. Haag. We conclude the evidence does not support the award, and thus we reverse the judgment in part. We reject plaintiff Michael R. Kelly’s assertion he is entitled to a retrial on punitive damages.

*914BACKGROUND

The underlying facts are undisputed. Haag and Kelly were formerly good friends. Haag is a licensed contractor, and he represented to Kelly that his company, JLH Ventures, Inc. (JLH), carried…