A New Jersey trial judge overstepped his bounds when he slashed a $1 million pain and suffering award to $200,000 based on his “feel of the case” and a comparison with verdicts in other cases, an appeals court held on Tuesday in a published opinion that should provide guidance on handling remittiturs.
The Appellate Division panel, in He v. Miller, A-5685-07, said Morris County Superior Court Judge David Ironson did not have enough information about other cases to support his finding that the verdict was excessive.
