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Road To Nowhere Or Jurisprudential U-Turn? The Intersection Of Punitive Damage Class Actions And The Due Process Clause, James M. Underwood

Washington and Lee Law Review

This Article analyzes the likely impact of recent Supreme Court jurisprudence applying substantive and procedural due process limits on punitive damage awards to class action punitive damage Lawsuits. In BMW v. Gore and State Farm v. Campbell the Supreme Court adopted a tripartite analysis to determine whether punitive damage awards were excessive under the Due Process Clause. Just last year in Philip Morris v. Williams the Court took a step further by imposing the additional 'procedural" limitation that requires trial courts to take steps to ensure that juries do not punish a tortfeasor through an award ofpunitive damages in one …