Continental Coffee Products Co. v. Cazarez

The principal question for our decision is what evidence is required for a court to find malice in order to award punitive damages for a violation of a statute creating an intentional tort. Juanita Cazarez sued her employer, Continental Coffee Products Company, and its employment manager, Alan D. Duff, for allegedly discharging her in retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim in violation of TexRev.Civ.StatAnn. art. 8307c (repealed) (codified without substantive changes at TexLab.Code § 451.001-.003). The trial court, after a bench trial, rendered judgment awarding Cazarez actual…