White v. Valenta

This matter comes before us on a settled statement. A jury found appellant liable in a slander action brought by respondent and assessed compensatory damages at $5,000 and punitive damages at $2,500. The facts are unusual:

Respondent was the president and sole stockholder of two corporations selling new cars and used cars respectively. The corporations did business on two lots which were separated by premises owned by appellant who conducted his business there. For two years before the incident which became the subject matter of this lawsuit, respondent’s corporations had been advertising…