Opinion ID: 1375369
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Summary Disposition of Miscellaneous Assignments of Error:

Text: Rite Aid asserts some additional arguments that merit at least a summary discussion.
First, Rite Aid asserts that the award of punitive damages here constituted an impermissible double recovery. Rite Aid cites Dzinglski v. Weirton Steel Corp., 191 W.Va. 278, 445 S.E.2d 219 (1994), in support of this argument. In Dzinglski we reviewed a jury's award to the plaintiff on a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress in the amount of $500,000 in compensatory damages and $150,000 in punitive damages. While other causes of action were alleged, the outrage claim was the only cause that reached the jury. The trial court subsequently struck the punitive damages award, and the plaintiff cross-assigned the ruling as error. We concluded, as a matter of law, that the facts in Dzinglski did not amount to outrageous conduct. Nevertheless, we went on to discuss the plaintiff's cross-assignment of error concerning the propriety of the circuit court's quashing of the punitive damages award. In upholding the circuit court's action, we stated as follows: In Wells v. Smith, 171 W.Va. 97, 297 S.E.2d 872 (1982), [ overruled on other grounds, Games v. Fleming Landfill, Inc., 186 W.Va. 656, 413 S.E.2d 897 (1991),] we recognized that in permitting recovery for emotional distress without proof of physical trauma where the distress arises out of the extreme and outrageous conduct intentionally caused by the defendant, damages awarded for the tort of outrageous conduct are essentially punitive damages. Dzinglski, 191 W.Va. at 288, 445 S.E.2d at 229. Neither the trial transcript, the verdict form nor Rite Aid's proposed jury instructions indicate that the argument under Wells was raised below. Had Rite Aid done so, the purported error could have been easily remedied before this matter was presented to the jury and finally disposed of. Given the failure to preserve and develop the putative error below, we decline to address it herein.
Rite Aid also argues that the jury's awards for compensatory and punitive damages were grossly excessive. [20] We recently restated the well-settled rule applicable to this contention in syllabus point two of Capper v. Gates, 193 W.Va. 9, 454 S.E.2d 54 (1994): ``Courts must not set aside jury verdicts as excessive unless they are monstrous, enormous, at first blush beyond all measure, unreasonable, outrageous, and manifestly show jury passion, partiality, prejudice or corruption.' Syl.Pt., Addair v. Majestic Petroleum Co., Inc., 160 W.Va. 105, 232 S.E.2d 821 (1977). Syl. pt. 5, Roberts v. Stevens Clinic Hosp. Inc., 176 W.Va. 492, 345 S.E.2d 791 (1986).' Capper, 193 W.Va. at 12, 454 S.E .2d at 57. After reviewing the record as a whole in the light most favorable to the Appellees, we cannot say that respective awards for $12,000 in compensatory damages and $18,000 in punitive damages meet the required standard for remand. Accordingly, we conclude that this assignment of error is not meritorious.