Opinion ID: 1876871
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Instruction on Punitive Damages was Properly Given.

Text: Sonny Bishop Cars argues that the trial court committed reversible error by instructing the jury that it could award punitive damages [i]f you find for Ms. Piles and Mr. Warner under any of these instructions and award them a sum of money[.] It contends that the fraud and KCPA claims were not properly before the jury and that [t]o allow damages to be assessed for reasons not properly before the jury, whether fraud, [KCPA] or both, is fundamentally unfair and prejudicial. But, as previously mentioned, we find that the KCPA claim was properly before the jury; and, thus, we have found it unnecessary to reach the fraud issue. Sonny Bishop Cars also contends that there is no way to tell whether the punitive damages award was based solely on the conversion (which it does not appeal herein) or was based all or in part on fraud or on KCPA violations. However, Sonny Bishop Cars fails to cite to the record to show where it requested that the punitive damage instruction ask the jury to indicate on which specific verdict it was basing its punitive damages award. So this issue is not preserved for our review. The KCPA expressly provides that punitive damages may be awarded in appropriate cases. [14] And our case law has made clear that punitive damages may be awarded for conversion if the defendant's conduct is especially reprehensible. [15] So we find no error in the trial court's instructing the jury on punitive damages.