Punitive Damages – Sufficiency of Evidence

By: Derek Hawkins//January 10, 2017//

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Diane Parker v. Four Seasons Hotels, Limited

Case No.: 16-1244

Officials: BAUER, ROVNER, and HAMILTON, Circuit Judges

Focus: Punitive Damages – Sufficiency of Evidence

Diane Parker was injured when a sliding glass door in the bathroom of her Four Seasons Hotel room shattered. The hotel admitted negligence and a jury awarded Parker $20,000 in compensatory damages, which was reduced to $12,000 after a motion for set-off was granted. The district court declined Parker’s request to put the question of punitive damages to the jury, finding her evidence insufficient as a matter of law. We reverse and remand for further proceedings on the question of punitive damages.

Reversed and Remanded

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.

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