Nickerson v. Stonebridge Life Insurance Co.

Opinion

ALDRICH, J.

INTRODUCTION

The sole issue raised by both parties to this appeal concerns the punitive damage award; specifically, whether the trial court’s remittitur of that award from $19 million to $350,000, based on a ratio of punitive to compensatory damages of 10 to one, comports with due process. Thomas Nickerson sued Stonebridge Life Insurance Company (Stonebridge) challenging the insurer’s partial denial of his claim for hospitalization benefits. The trial court ruled that a policy provision limiting coverage was not conspicuous, plain, and clear and was therefore unenforceable,…