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Constitutional Law Keyed to Chemerinsky
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. Campbell
Citation:
538 U.S. 408 (2003)
ProfessorTodd Berman
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
Facts
Curtis Campbell driving with his wife got into a car accident. A jury determined that Campbell was 100 percent at fault. State Farm, Campbell’s insurance company, contested liability and refused to cover the amount in excess liability. Campbell obtained his own counsel to appeal the verdict and pursued a bad faith action against State Farm. When the Utah Supreme Court denied Campbell’s appeal in the wrongful death, State Farm paid the entire judgment including the amounts in excess of the policy limits. The Campbells nonetheless filed a complaint against State Farm alleging bad faith. The jury awarded the Campbells $145 million in punitive damages but the trial court reduced to $25 million. Upon an appeal by both parties, the Utah Supreme Court reinstated the $145 million punitive damages award.
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