Opinion ID: 1714221
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the trial court committed reversible error in directing a verdict against gmac for the unearned premiums and thus, whether punitive damages were warranted.

Text: ¶ 9. The Court of Appeals found that the trial court committed reversible error in directing a verdict against GMAC for the unearned premiums but also found that enough evidence existed to create a jury question. As such, the Court of Appeals reversed the directed verdict and remanded the issue for consideration by the jury. We agree. ¶ 10. In order for GMAC to be liable for punitive damages, it must first be liable for actual damages. Hopewell Enters., Inc. v. Trustmark Nat'l Bank, 680 So.2d 812, 820 (Miss.1996). Since GMAC's possible liability is not born in contract or statute, it is a fact question to be resolved by a jury based on the introduced evidence of a conspiracy. In support of this theory, Hicks alleged that through the use of an ineffective notification system, GMAC and MIC Life conspired to retain a percentage of unearned insurance premiums. There is little doubt that the OLA notice system was not the most effective way of refunding unearned premiums. Furthermore, the use of such a system raises suspicions that the motive for its adoption was to reduce the number of refunds given by reducing the number of requests. As the Court of Appeals found, if that indeed was the purpose of employing OLA system, then a jury question arises as to whether GMAC breached other obligations owed to Hicks, such as good faith and fair dealing. ¶ 11. A thorough review of the record clearly shows that while there was certainly evidence of a conspiracy between GMAC and MIC Life, it was not of such a nature as to take it out of the province of the jury. A directed verdict should not be granted if there is evidence of such quality and weight that reasonable and fair minded jurors in the exercise of impartial judgment might have reached different conclusions. Munford, Inc. v. Fleming, 597 So.2d 1282, 1283 (Miss.1992) (citing Litton Sys., Inc. v. Enochs, 449 So.2d 1213 (Miss.1984)). The evidence in this case was such that reasonable jurors might have reached different conclusions; and therefore, a directed verdict was inappropriate. The Court of Appeals is affirmed on this issue.