Legal Opinion
Baker ex rel. Mandatory Punitive Damages Class v. Hazelwood
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Decided November 7, 2001No. Nos. 97-35191 to 97-35193 and 97-35235PublishedCited by 1 opinion
1Opinion of the Court
KLEINFELD, Circuit Judge:
This is an appeal of a $5 billion punitive damages award arising out of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This is not a case about befouling the environment. This is a case about commercial fishing. The jury was specifically instructed that it could not award damages for environmental harm. The reason is that under a stipulation with the United States and Alaska, Exxon had already been punished for environmental harm.1 The verdict in this case was for damage to economic expectations for commercial fishermen.
The plaintiffs here were almost entirely compensated for their…
2Cases cited101 opinions
- Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1986
- Santosky v. KramerSupreme Court of the United States · 1982
- Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1974
- Solem v. HelmSupreme Court of the United States · 1983
- Addington v. TexasSupreme Court of the United States · 1979
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