Opinion ID: 1125042
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The Verdicts and Judgments

Text: On January 26, 1995, the jury returned verdicts in favor of the Plaintiffs on all three causes of action. More specifically, the jury found that: (1) there was a defect in the manufacture or design of the Benlate sold to [the Plaintiffs]; (2) the Liability Defendants were engaged in the business of manufacturing, formulating, packaging, or selling such defective Benlate; (3) such defective Benlate [was] a legal cause of damage to [the Plaintiffs]; (4) the Liability Defendants [were] negligent with respect to Benlate; (5) such negligence [was] a legal cause of damage to [the Plaintiffs]; (6) DuPont breached [at least one of the] express warranties on the label regarding Benlate sold to [the Plaintiffs]; and (7) DuPont's breach of express warranty on the label [was] a legal cause of damages to [the Plaintiffs]. With respect to the Plaintiffs' prayer for punitive damages, the jury found by clear and convincing evidence that Defendant [DuPont] [wa]s liable for punitive damages[.] As a result, the jury awarded the following: $8,399,000 in compensatory damages and $12,500,000 in punitive damages to the Tomono Plaintiffs, and $1,180,000 in compensatory damages and $1,770,000 in punitive damages to Kawamata Farms. These awards were based on the injury to the Plaintiffs' crops. The jury did not award any soil restoration damages and farm structure restoration damages to the Plaintiffs or the Declaratory Defendants. The jury found that, to the extent that any of the Plaintiffs were negligent, the Plaintiffs' negligence was not the legal cause of any damages. The jury also found that the Tomono Plaintiffs were not liable to the Declaratory Defendants for negligence, waste, or breach of contract. Accordingly, the jury awarded no damages to the Declaratory Defendants. Because the Tomono Plaintiffs and the Liability Defendants prevailed with respect to the Declaratory Defendants' counterclaim and cross-claim, the circuit court awarded costs in favor of Tomono Plaintiffs and Liability Defendants and against the Declaratory Defendants as follows: (1) with respect to the Tomono Plaintiffs, $7,654.16; (2) with respect to DuPont, $11,072.59; (3) with respect to Platte, United Agri Products, Loveland, and Hasegawa, $949.56; and (4) with respect to Terra International, $1,182.06.