Constitutional Law,
Insurance
Mar. 13, 2007
The Scale's in Motion
The Supreme Court recently decided a major punitive-damages case, but many questions remain. A Superior Court judge helps unravel the issues.
Rex Heeseman
JAMS
555 W 5th St Fl 32
Los Angeles , CA 90013-1055
Phone: (213) 253-9772
Fax: (213) 620-0100
Email: rheeseman@jamsdar.com
Stanford Univ Law School
Rex Heeseman retired from the Los Angeles Count Superior Court bench in 2014. He is at JAMS, Los Angeles. Besides speaking at various MCLE programs, he co-authors The Rutter Group's practice guide on "Insurance Litigation." From 2002 to 2015, he was an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School.
By Rex Heeseman
In a 5-4 vote last month, the Supreme Court ruled that because of the U.S. Constitution's Due Process Clause, a jury could not assess punitive damages based "upon its desire to punish the defendant for harming persons who are not before the court (e.g., victims whom the parties do not represent)." The court passed on the other legal issue before it, whether the punit...
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