Opinion ID: 147782
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Award of Punitive Damages

Text: The jury awarded punitive damages to each of the twenty-two plaintiffs in the sum of $15,000 each, which was allotted as $7,500 against each of the two individual defendants. It was error, indeed plain error, to submit this issue to the jury. Punitive damages in a § 1983 civil rights action can be granted at the jury's discretion only if the defendant's conduct is shown to be motivated by evil motive or intent, or when it involves reckless or callous indifference to the federally protected rights of others. Smith v. Wade, 461 U.S. 30, 56, 103 S.Ct. 1625, 75 L.Ed.2d 632 (1983). This court has emphasized that the `evil motive,' `intent,' or `reckless or callous indifference' pertains to the ` defendant's knowledge that [he] may be acting in violation of federal law. ' Davignon v. Hodgson, 524 F.3d 91, 110 (1st Cir.2008) (alteration in original) (quoting Iacobucci v. Boulter, 193 F.3d 14, 25-26 (1st Cir. 1999)). Puerto Rican law was unclear as to whether plaintiffs had a right to continued employment and so whether any constitutionally protected interest was involved at all. Given the complexity of the Commonwealth and municipal law at issue, it cannot logically be true that the individual defendants knew they may have been acting in violation of federal law. We vacate the punitive damages award and order dismissal of the punitive damages claim with prejudice on remand.