William O. Wheat v. United States

GEE, Circuit Judge:

In this case, we are asked to reassess damage awards to the Estate of Shilla Wheat and to her surviving husband and daughters to determine if the awards are excessive or punitive. We conclude that the awards to the Estate of Shilla Wheat and to Shilla Malette Aaron, Mrs. Wheat’s minor daughter, are appropriate, given the grievous injury that Mrs. Wheat and her young daughter have suffered. By contrast, the awards to William O. Wheat, Mrs. Wheat’s husband, and to Freda Joyce Barlow, Mrs. Wheat’s adult daughter, are excessive because they are entirely disproportionate to the…