punitive damages News

Illinois Student Tackled for Stealing Own Car Settles Suit for $1.25M

A Chicago, Ill., suburb has tentatively agreed to pay a former doctoral student $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit alleging police officers tackled him to the ground and arrested him for stealing a car that turned out to be his …

North Korea Ordered to Pay $500M in U.S. Student’s Death

A federal judge on Monday ordered North Korea to pay more than $500 million in a wrongful death suit filed by the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died shortly after being released from that country. U.S. …

Monsanto Verdict Upheld, Award Cut to $78M

A Northern California judge on Monday upheld a jury’s verdict that found Monsanto’s weed killer caused a groundskeeper’s cancer, but she slashed the amount of money to be paid from $289 million to $78 million. In denying Monsanto’s request for …

SoCal Gas Settles Crash Lawsuit for $46M

Southern California Gas Co. on Monday agreed to pay $46 million to settle a lawsuit by a motorcyclist who was struck and badly injured by a company driver who suffered an epileptic seizure. U.S. Air Force Capt. Jason Lo was …

Jurors Don’t Want $289M Weed Killer Cancer Verdict Thrown Out

Jurors who found that agribusiness giant Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer contributed to a school groundskeeper’s cancer are urging a San Francisco judge not to throw out the bulk of their $289 million award in his favor, a newspaper reported Monday. …

Lexus Seat Defect Results in Jury Award of $242M Against Toyota

A Texas jury on Friday hit Toyota with a $242 million verdict after finding that defects in the front seats of a 2002 Lexus ES300 caused serious injuries to a Dallas family’s two young children during a rear-end collision in …

Jury Awards $289M to Man Who Claims Roundup Weed Killer Caused Cancer

A San Francisco jury on Friday ordered agribusiness giant Monsanto to pay $289 million to a former school groundskeeper dying of cancer, saying the company’s popular Roundup weed killer contributed to his disease. Dewayne Johnson’s lawsuit was the first of …

Senator Paul Files Civil Suit Against Neighbor for Assault

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is suing a neighbor who admitted tackling Paul as he mowed his yard. The Bowling Green Daily News reports the complaint filed Friday seeks compensatory and punitive damages from neighbor Rene Boucher for “physical pain and …

California Jury Awards Fired Allstate Employee More Than $18M

A former Allstate Insurance Co. employee who was fired following an arrest has been awarded more than $18 million in damages. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported a San Diego jury awarded 55-year-old Michael Tilkey about $2.6 million in actual damages …

Asbestos-Laden Talc Products Verdict Means J&J, Imerys Owe Millions

Johnson & Johnson and a talc-mining company were ordered by jurors to pay $80 million in punitive damages for hiding that their products, including J&J’s iconic baby powder, had been tainted by asbestos and posed a cancer risk. The New …