Court Opinion

ID: 9933004
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-09 18:41:28.974638+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:03:00.639045
License: Public Domain

See my opinion concurring in the result in BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore, 701 So.2d 507, 521-22 (Ala. 1997):
 "Both the Alabama Legislature and Congress have established treble damages as the most common punitive standard. I would therefore adopt that three-to-one ratio, not as any kind of rigid restraint, but to serve as a benchmark against which to measure reasonableness. Significant deviations above the three-to-one benchmark should require special justification."
(Footnote omitted.)
In this case, I find no special justification for exceeding the three-to-one benchmark. Therefore, I concur to affirm conditionally.