$18 Million Punitive Damages Award Upheld.

A jury awarded $30 million in compensatory damages and $18 million in punitive damages against Union Carbide in an asbestos/mesothelioma case. The trial court issued a remittitur, reducing the compensatory damages to $6 million, which plaintiffs accepted.  But the trial court declined to reduce the punitive damages. The appellate court concluded the evidence was sufficient to support the verdict and affirmed. (Izell v. Union Carbide Corp. (Cal. App. Second Dist., Div. 3; November 21, 2014) 231 Cal.App.4th 962, [180 Cal.Rptr.3d 382].)