Court Opinion

ID: 9689409
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 18:30:35.385189+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:47.854220
License: Public Domain

SABERS, Justice
(dissenting).
 I join Justice Amundson’s writing.
 This punitive damage award is subject to revision by this court under Hannahs v. Noah, 83 S.D. 296, 306-07, 158 N.W.2d 678, 684 (1968); and Stene v. Hillgren, 78 S.D. 1, 7-8, 98 N.W.2d 156, 159-60 (1959).
 The Hannahs and Stene courts considered essentially the same factors outlined in Flockhart v. Wyant, 467 N.W.2d 473, 479 (S.D.1991), in revising punitive damage awards. While a jury is often instructed to consider the five Flockhart factors in determining punitive damages, see Civil Pattern Jury Instr. 35-01, it is not required to list factors actually considered or amounts for each factor. We should consider all relevant factors and proceed under Hannahs and Stene to revise the punitive damage award to an amount this court determines adequate, without tying punitive damages to compensatory damages, as reduced, or to the amount set by the trial court.
 In my view, the defect in the majority opinion is that the punitive damages award appears to be some portion or percent of the amount set by the trial court and is totally inadequate. We should set the amount we determine as adequate without regard to the amount set by the trial court. Hannahs, 83 S.D. at 306-07, 158 N.W.2d at 684; Stene, 78 S.D. at 7-8, 98 N.W.2d at 159-60.
 We have stated that the amount must be sufficiently high to deter similar future conduct. Schaffer v. Edward D. Jones & Co., 1996 SD 94, ¶ 25, 552 N.W.2d 801 (1996) (Schaffer II) (citing Hulstein v. Meilman Food Industries, 293 N.W.2d 889, 892 (S.D.1980); Bogue v. Gunderson, 30 S.D. 1, 137 N.W. 595, 596 (1912)). Here, Parrott committed numerous acts of child sex abuse and two acts of adult sex abuse. Even if all reference to child sex abuse is deleted, Par-rott’s conduct is incredibly reprehensible. He has shown no remorse. In fact, he sneered at his victims during the trial. His attitude and arrogance apparently continue *513to the present. His conduct concerning adult sex abuse, past and present, must be adequately punished and deterred. Under all the circumstances, I would set the amount at a minimum of $113,000. Anything less is inadequate for punishment or deterrence, Schaffer, 1996 SD 94, ¶ 25, 552 N.W.2d 801.