Lawyers for ExxonMobil and Exxon Valdez oil spill plaintiffs faced off before the U.S. Supreme Court today. At issue was the $2.5 billion punitive damages award by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of the spill plaintiffs. The punitive damages case ping-ponged for 13 years between the Federal District Court of Alaska and the Ninth Circuit court. The award was originally set at $5 billion but after all the legal back-and-forth, the Ninth Circuit reduced it.
- Download and read the oral arguments transcript (PDF, 372K)
Joel Southern, APRN – Washington, DC
