The sky is not the limit when a jury assesses a large punitivedamage award against a civil defendant — even when such damages are justified and not capped by statute — according to a recent Texas Supreme Court decision.
Bennett, et al. v. Reynolds is the rare civil case in which a jury found that the defendants’ actions — here, theft of cattle — constituted a crime, triggering the felony exception to the exemplary-damages cap found in Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §41.008(c)(13). While the high court in an 8-0 ruling found that exemplary damages were justified in the case, the justicesstill ruled that the award violated due-process requirements. The jury’s $1.25 million in punitive damages was excessive when compared to the $5,300 in actual damage award, the high court ruled.
