Courts have applied St. Louis Railway v. Williams to reduce aggregate statutory awards that are severe and oppressive relative to the offense. Application to modern class awards remains unsettled.
Some courts address the issue at certification.
Alternative Names:
Aggregate Damages Due Process|Constitutional Damages Limit
Why it Matters?
Raising the argument at certification through superiority is more effective than post-verdict, since courts may decline to certify where the aggregate would be annihilating relative to the defendant's size and any actual harm, and several decisions have denied certification on that basis. Post-verdict reduction remains available but leaves the defendant carrying the verdict through appeal. Quantifying the disproportion is essential to either argument.
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Frequently asked questions
When is the argument most effective?
What is essential to either argument?
