Burke v. Hawkeye National Life Insurance Co.

NEUMAN, Justice.

This suit began as a breach of contract action against an insurance company by one of its former independent agents. As originally pled, the suit also claimed that the company interrupted “plaintiff’s commercial relationships with others.” Four years later, in the midst of a bench trial, the agent was allowed to amend his petition to add a claim for actual and punitive damages caused by the company’s alleged tortious interference with prospective business relations. The district court then awarded the agent $117,400 in actual damages and $250,000 punitive damages. On the…