Opinion ID: 2614922
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: General Verdict With Special Interrogatories

Text: At the completion of the 30-day trial, the jury returned in plaintiff's favor a general verdict with special interrogatories. As will appear, the jury's responses disclose that the jury found plaintiff had been damaged in various amounts on each cause of action. Among other questions, the verdict form asked the jury whether either defendant RNB or defendant Billings was liable for removing plaintiff from RNB's board, and, if so, what was the total amount of plaintiff's damages for such removal. All 12 jurors found that both such defendants were liable, and that the total amount of damage was $2,254,787. The form also asked whether either RNB or Billings was liable for defaming plaintiff and, if so, what was the total amount of damages as a result thereof. By a vote of 11 to 1, the jury found that both these defendants were liable, and that plaintiff suffered defamation damages in the total amount of $604,787. Other responses found defendants RNB and Billings liable for breaching the implied covenant of good faith, to plaintiff's damage in the total amount of $1,650,800; that these defendants and other named defendants were liable for conspiring to intentionally interfere with plaintiff's contractual relations with RNB, to plaintiff's damage in the amount of $1,622,000; and that defendants RNB and Billings were liable for interfering with plaintiff's contracts or relations with other lenders, to plaintiff's total general damage of $2,226,787. Additionally, the jury rendered a special verdict assessing punitive damages against RNB in the amount of $2.3 million and against Billings in the amount of $130,000. As a result of the jury's general verdict and interrogatories, the trial court entered its judgment ordering that plaintiff recover (1) from defendant RNB, $2,254,787 in compensatory damages and $2.3 million in punitive damages, for a total of $4,554,787; (2) from defendant Billings, the sum of $2,254,787 in compensatory damages and $130,000 in punitive damages, for a total of $2,384,787; and (3) from three other named defendants, the sum of $1 each (as prayed).