Opinion ID: 1957633
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Damages punitive

Text: ¶ 82. I certainly find in the record sufficient evidence of egregious conduct to justify submission of the issue of punitive damages to the jury. For instance, the jury heard the Dealership's manager, Wayne Combost, testify at trial (and confirm that he testified in deposition) that he did not call the police to report the Mountaineer stolen. However, when confronted with a tape recording of his call, he miraculously remembered the call. [9] The jury could easily have believed that calling the police to report that a vehicle was stolen is not an event one is likely to have forgotten. However, the jury returned no award of punitive damages. I believe it is far more likely that the jury intended to award $100,000 in punitive damages than some assumed damages not specified in the instructions or record. The form of the verdict leaves considerable doubt as to the jury's intent, both as to actual and punitive damages.