Denton v. Allstate Insurance Co.

Defendant, Allstate Insurance Company, appeals from a jury verdict entered in favor of the plaintiff, Jimmy Denton, in the amount of $185,000. The jury found defendant liable for malicious prosecution and awarded plaintiff $45,000 in compensatory damages and $140,000 in punitive damages.

In December 1977, Officer Victor Delia of the Chicago police department was assigned a warrant for plaintiff’s arrest for nonpayment of multiple parking tickets. Delia performed a routine computer search and found a second outstanding warrant for plaintiff’s arrest. The second warrant had been issued in April…