DO YOU AGREE WITH THE DECISION TO HALVE THE EXXON MOBILE PUNITIVE DAMAGES? [+] serious ballot by Mithrandir ACTIVE Fri Dec 22, 06 - Sat Dec 22, 07 In 1989, the Valdez oil tanker struck a charted reef, spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil and smeared black goo across roughly 1,500 miles of Alaskan coastline. In 1994, a federal jury found recklessness by Exxon and the captain of the Valdez, Joseph Hazelwood, who caused the tanker to run aground. The plaintiffs alleged Hazelwood ran the ship into a reef while drunk and Exxon knew he had a drinking problem, but left him in command of tankers. The jury awarded $5 billion in punitive damages to 34,000 fishermen and other Alaskans whose property and livelihoods were harmed. Exxon appealed that decision unsuccessfully, saying they should only be paying $25M in damages. But having managed to delay the case so long, they were able to launch a further appeal based on a new 2003 Supreme Court ruling said punitive damages usually could not be more than nine times general damages. The Anchorage jury had awarded $287-million in general damages — and issued punitive damages that were 17 times that amount. Now, as of today, after 17 years, an appeals court believed the amount excessive and has reduced the amount owed in damages by half. In October of this year, Exxon Mobil reported earnings of $10.49-billion in the third quarter, the second-largest quarterly profit ever recorded by a publicly traded U.S. company. 30 % of claimants have died since the spill occurred. Up to this date, no claimant has received any compensation whatsoever in terms of damages. What do you think about this case? Justice delayed is justice denied The punitive damages were excessive, and the appeals court was right to reduce it. There is no justice, just corporate greed Ballot #110667 : SEE RESULTS Comment: show your vote with comment?

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