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STATE FARM MUT. AUTOMOBILE INS. CO. v. CAMPBELL

No. 01-1289.

538 U.S. 408 (2003)

STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE CO. v. CAMPBELL ET AL.

Supreme Court of United States.

Decided April 7, 2003.

Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Sheila L. Birnbaum argued the cause for petitioner. With her on the briefs were Barbara Wrubel, Douglas W. Dunham, and Ellen P. Quackenbos.

Laurence H. Tribe argued the cause for respondents. With him on the brief were Kenneth Chesebro, Jonathan S. Massey, Roger P. Christensen, and Karra J. Porter.*

KENNEDY, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which REHNQUIST, C. J., and STEVENS, O'CONNOR, SOUTER, and BREYER, JJ., joined. SCALIA, J., p. 429, THOMAS, J., p. 429, and GINSBURG, J., p. 430, filed dissenting opinions.

JUSTICE KENNEDY delivered the opinion of the Court.

We address once again the measure of punishment, by means of punitive damages, a State may impose upon a defendant in a civil case. The question is whether, in the circumstances we shall recount, an award of $145 million in punitive damages, where full compensatory damages are $1 million, is excessive and in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment...

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