Shoen v. Shoen

OPINION

WEISBERG, Judge.

This appeal is the latest chapter in the long-standing litigation among members of the Shoen family over control of AMERCO, the parent company of U-Haul. Plaintiffs were shareholders who sued Edward “Joe” Shoen (“Joe”) and other members of AMERCO’s board of directors (collectively, “defendants”) regarding conduct in 1988 that deprived plaintiffs of majority ownership. After a seven-week trial, a jury awarded plaintiffs $1.47 billion in compensatory damages against all defendants and $70 million in punitive damages against only Joe. The trial court, however, granted…