Opinion ID: 783516
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Excessiveness of Compensatory Damages Award

Text: 30 The jury awarded Rebecca DiSorbo $400,000 in compensatory damages on her excessive force and battery claims. Pedersen and the City argue that this award was excessive, contending that the amount well exceeded compensatory damages awards in cases where plaintiffs suffered comparable injuries. 31 We conduct a narrow review of a district court's compensatory damages award, limited to whether the award is so high as to shock the judicial conscience and constitute a denial of justice. Mathie v. Fries, 121 F.3d 808, 813 (2d Cir.1997) (quotations omitted). Our determination of whether a compensatory damages award is excessive should not be conducted in a vacuum, but instead should include consideration of the amounts awarded in other, comparable cases. Id. (quotations omitted); see also Ismail v. Cohen, 899 F.2d 183, 187 (2d Cir.1990). When considering whether a compensatory damages award falls within a reasonable range, we do not balance the number of high and low awards and reject the verdict in the instant case if the number of lower awards is greater. Ismail, 899 F.2d at 187. 32 Our analysis begins with the injuries Rebecca DiSorbo endured. Dr. Burton, the physician who examined Rebecca DiSorbo after the incident, testified to the extensive nature and severity of her injuries. According to Dr. Burton's report, Rebecca DiSorbo had bruises on her head, her right forehead, the lower part of her mandible, the area behind her left ear, her right shoulder, her hands, her left elbow, and her spine. In addition, Lieutenant Gerfin, the paramedic who treated Rebecca DiSorbo on December 27, 1998, documented that Rebecca DiSorbo had two hematomas on her head, which he characterized as large. Rebecca DiSorbo also testified that Pedersen choked her with such aggression that she was unable to breathe and temporarily began to lose vision. Rebecca DiSorbo also pursued a claim for psychological injuries she suffered at the time of the incident. While she was handcuffed and defenseless, Rebecca DiSorbo was brutally attacked by a law enforcement officer who was substantially larger and stronger than she. 7 In light of the highly traumatic nature of this attack, it would have been quite reasonable for the jury to find resulting psychological injuries. 33 Canvassing the awards in comparable cases, as we are bound to do, we conclude that the jury's $400,000 compensatory damages award falls outside a reasonable range of awards. See Mathie, 121 F.3d at 813. For instance, in O'Neill v. Krzeminski, 839 F.2d 9 (2d Cir.1988), we affirmed an $80,000 compensatory damages award for a victim of particularly egregious police brutality. The plaintiff, who was arrested after being ejected from a nightclub, apparently annoyed several police officers while at the station. As a consequence, the plaintiff, still handcuffed, was struck in the face repeatedly and while bleeding dragged across the detention area by his throat. Id. at 10. The plaintiff suffered a fractured nose, lacerations to his forehead and eyebrow, and tenderness in his throat, but experienced no permanent physical disability. Id. at 10, 13. 34 In Blissett v. Coughlin, 66 F.3d 531 (2d Cir.1995), we upheld a $75,000 compensatory damages award for a victim of excessive force by prison guards. The plaintiff, an inmate at Attica Correctional Facility, alleged that several prison guards assaulted him, and sought compensatory damages for his physical and emotional injuries. The allegations included that, while the plaintiff was handcuffed, guards punched him, struck him repeatedly with a baton, kicked him, and choked him until he fell unconscious. Id. at 533-34. The plaintiff complained of recurring problems with his right knee as a result of the assault, although this testimony was not substantiated by any independent evidence. Id. at 536. 35 Also instructive is Hygh v. Jacobs, 961 F.2d 359 (2d Cir.1992), where we affirmed a $216,000 compensatory damages award for excessive use of force by police officers. The plaintiff in Hygh was struck once in the cheekbone by a police officer, apparently with a flashlight or other blunt object. Id. at 361. The resulting injuries were quite severe. We explained in Hygh that the plaintiff suffered serious and painful injuries that required surgery under general anesthesia, and the left side of his face is permanently numb. Id. at 366. 36 We also approved a large compensatory damages award for a plaintiff who suffered serious physical injuries in Ismail. In that case, the defendant police officer allegedly struck the plaintiff in the back of his head without warning, causing the plaintiff to fall unconscious. Ismail, 899 F.2d at 185. The officer then handcuffed the plaintiff, pressed his gun against the plaintiff's head, implanted his knee firmly in the plaintiff's back, and threatened to kill the plaintiff if he attempted to move. Id. A subsequent hospital visit revealed that the plaintiff suffered two displaced vertebrae, a cracked rib, and serious head trauma. Id. The plaintiff also testified that he continued to suffer from chronic intermittent pain in his arms, torso, and head, and that this pain interfered with his daily activities. Id. at 186. The jury awarded $650,000 in compensatory damages, but the trial judge ordered the plaintiff to remit $450,000 of this award or face a new trial on damages. Id. After reviewing numerous New York cases upholding similar damages awards, we vacated the trial court's order of remittitur, and reinstated the jury's $650,000 compensatory damages award. Id. at 186-87. 37 Two cases in which we found that awards were excessive help further illuminate what is reasonable compensation. In Bender v. City of New York, 78 F.3d 787 (2d Cir.1996), the plaintiff suffered a physical blow to the mouth that resulted in no bruise or cut, much less any permanent injury; 24 hours' confinement in a cell under extremely unpleasant conditions; an additional five hours of custody prior to release at arraignment; the pendency of disorderly conduct and assault charges for six months, prior to their dismissal; and emotional distress to the plaintiff that was manifested by nightmares and occasional loss of sleep over a period lasting a year and a half. Id. at 792. We held that the compensatory damages award of $300,000 was excessive and reduced it to $150,000. Id. at 792-93. In Wheatley v. Ford, 679 F.2d 1037 (2d Cir.1982), we reduced the compensatory damages award from $55,000 to $25,000 where plaintiff was struck by a police officer with a slapjack, had his bare feet stomped on, and was cuffed in the ear, all producing only temporary injury. Id. at 1039-40. 38 Comparing Rebecca DiSorbo's injuries and subsequent damages award to those in the above cases, we conclude that a $400,000 compensatory damages award is excessive. There is no doubt in our minds that Rebecca DiSorbo's injuries were severe and demand a sizable compensatory damages award. In addition, when considering the sizes of the awards in earlier cases, we must take into account inflation, as the reasonable range for Rebecca DiSorbo's injuries today is higher than what it would have been ten years ago. Even so, our caselaw simply does not allow for a $400,000 compensatory damages award for Rebecca DiSorbo's injuries. The plaintiff in O'Neill suffered injuries similar in terms of severity to those endured by Rebecca DiSorbo, if not worse, yet that plaintiff received approximately one-fifth of the compensatory damages the jury awarded Rebecca DiSorbo. See O'Neill, 839 F.2d at 10, 13. Even taking into account that O'Neill was decided approximately fifteen years ago, the disparity between the two compensatory damages awards is considerable. Moreover, Rebecca DiSorbo's injuries also were less severe than those in other cases where we upheld awards closer to the $400,000 range. For instance, Rebecca DiSorbo did not require surgery for her injuries, as did the plaintiff in Hygh. Unlike the plaintiffs in Blissett, Hygh, and Ismail, Rebecca DiSorbo does not complain of any permanent injuries, as most of her bruises healed within several days. 39 We must keep in mind, however, that in contrast to several earlier cases, the jury in the present case had a valid basis for including Rebecca DiSorbo's psychological injuries in its compensatory damages award, particularly in light of the traumatic nature of the attack. For instance, even though the plaintiff in Hygh suffered more serious physical harm, the actual attack in Hygh was far less traumatic than the brutality Rebecca DiSorbo endured. See Hygh, 961 F.2d at 361; see also Ismail, 899 F.2d at 186-87 (reinstating compensatory damages award based on inter alia the plaintiff's mental distress, even though the plaintiff did not offer testimony concerning counseling for his mental anguish). 40 After carefully reviewing Rebecca DiSorbo's injuries and the injuries and awards in the above cases, we conclude that compensatory damages in the amount of $250,000 for Pedersen's excessive force and battery would appropriately fall within a reasonable range of compensatory damages awards. We therefore remand for a new trial on damages unless Rebecca DiSorbo agrees to remit $150,000 of her excessive force and battery compensatory damages award and accept $250,000 in compensatory damages.