Legal Opinion
Miguel Perez v. Z Frank Oldsmobile, Inc., Cross-Appellee
Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Decided July 31, 2000No. 99-2742, 00-1786, 99-2854, 00-1701PublishedCited by 43 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judge.
This $8,000 dispute about a used car has led to an $800,000 judgment against Z Frank Oldsmobile. Punitive damages exceeding $500,000 and attorneys’ fees near $240,000 make up the bulk of the award. These damages are at least an order of magnitude too high, and final decision about attorneys’ fees must abide the outcome on remand.
Jack Bowler bought a new car from Z Frank in 1993, trading in his 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. The odometer showed about 28,000 miles. Z Frank resold the car to Miguel Perez, who had asked to buy a single-owner, low mileage auto. Perez…
2Cases cited26 opinions
- Farmer v. BrennanSupreme Court of the United States · 1994
- BMW of North America, Inc. v. GoreSupreme Court of the United States · 1996
- Vermont Agency of Natural Resources v. United States Ex Rel. StevensSupreme Court of the United States · 2000
- Browning-Ferris Industries of Vermont, Inc. v. Kelco Disposal, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1989
- Texas Industries, Inc. v. Radcliff Materials, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1981
21 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by43 opinions
- Turley v. ISG Lackawanna, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2014
- Payne v. JonesCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2013
- Anderson Ex Rel. Painters' District Council No. 30 Health & Welfare Fund v. AB Painting & Sandblasting Inc.Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 2009
- Koch v. GreenbergDistrict Court, S.D. New York · 2014
- Donald Beard, Jr. v. Wexford Health Sources, IncorpCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 2018
38 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.