Associated Press reports (via WLOS.com) that a North Carolina jury last week awarded $23.5 million in compensatory damages and $450 million punitive damages in a nuisance case against Smithfield Foods, which operates a major hog farming operation near the plaintiffs' property.
If that sounds familiar, it's because we blogged about a very similar case a few months ago.
The $450 million number will be reduced under North Carolina law, which caps punitive damages at the greater of $250,000 or three times the amount of compensatory damages. The plaintiffs in the prior case challenged the constitutionality of that statute, but lost that argument.
August 7, 2018
North Carolina awards $450 million in punitive damages, but award is capped under state law
Posted by
Curt Cutting
at
8:25 PM