Virginia Supreme Court Reinstates Punitive Damage Award

A drunk driver injures two people in a Virginia car accident. The injuries are not serious or life threatening, but not only is the driver drunk, he is also talking on his cell phone when he causes a car accident. Both cases go to trial and both accident victims obtain an award of compensatory and punitive damages. One injury victim gets an award of fourteen thousand dollars ($14,000) in compensatory damages and one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in punitive damages. The other injury victim gets an award of five thousand six hundred thousand dollars ($5600)in compensatory damages and also gets one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000)in punitive damages. The trial judge thought that the $100,000 was okay for the car accident injury victim who received an award of $14,600, but felt that the award of $100,000 for the car accident injury victim who received an award of $5600was just too much. In fact, the trial judge reduced the punitive damages award to $50,000. The Virginia Supreme Court recently reversed the decision of the trial court. The Virginia Supreme Court's decision is a good one. The drunk driver's conduct was terrible. Francis P. Hajek Wilson & Hajek, LLC, a personal injury law firm Experienced Injury and Accident Lawyers Serving Virginia, including Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Greene, Augusta, Buckingham, Staunton, Waynesboro, Culpepper, Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News