Court Opinion

ID: 9762423
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:23:19.895121+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:49:20.671809
License: Public Domain

ROBERTSON, Judge,
concurring.
I concur in the principal opinion. The issue of the burden of proof required to permit a plaintiff to recover punitive damages against a defendant is an important one. The principal opinion addresses the issue in a single paragraph simply indicating that the Court believes that no change is presently appropriate.
As is obvious to all, punitive damages do not serve to compensate a wronged party, but “are imposed for the purpose of punishment and deterrence.” State ex rel. Smith v. Green, 494 S.W.2d 55, 60 (Mo.banc 1973). It is thus important to remember when considering a burden of proof for punitive damages designed to ensure their proper award by jurors that the issue does not implicate the plaintiffs ability to recover for her damages. Instead, the issue is whether the egregious culpability of the defendant’s acts is such that the plaintiff should receive an additional windfall as a symbolic representative of society in general, the purpose of which is to deter the defendant from committing further egregiously culpable acts.
In Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745, 102 S.Ct. 1388, 71 L.Ed.2d 599 (1982), a case involving the termination of parental rights, the United States Supreme Court wrote that a clear and convincing standard of proof better impresses the factfinder with the importance of the decision and lessens the chance of error. Id. at 764-765, 102 S.Ct. at 1400-401. The court also noted that “a stricter standard of proof would reduce factual error.” Id. at 767, 102 S.Ct. at 1402.
Apparently convinced that punitive damages should be awarded under a standard that reduces the possibility of factual error, several jurisdictions have modified their punitive damage laws to require that a plaintiff prove that the defendant acted with the requisite culpability by clear and convincing evidence before punitive damages may be awarded. See, e.g., Wangen v. Ford Motor Company, 97 Wis.2d 260, 294 N.W.2d 437 (1980); Minn.Stat.Ann. sec. 549.20; Or.Rev.Stat. sec. 30.925.
Having said all of this, it appears to me that a strong case can be made for requiring a clear and convincing standard for an award of punitive damages. In 1987, the General Assembly adopted Section 510.263, RSMo Cum.Supp.1989, which deals, among other things, with awards of punitive damages. At that time, the General Assembly did not see fit to raise the burden of proof to a clear and convincing standard. Given that the legislature has chosen to address punitive damages generally, but remained silent on the burden of proof, it is my view that this Court ought to defer to the General Assembly’s policy choices. This is not to say that this Court does not have the authority to address this common law question; it does. It is, for the present, a policy of deference to the legislature that counsels restraint.