This unpublished Court of Appeal opinion doesn’t directly address any punitive damages issues, but is noteworthy because it wipes out a substantial punitive damages award.

The plaintiff was involved in an accident while riding a Suzuki motorcycle.  He sued Suzuki, claiming the motorcycle’s brakes were defective, and persuaded a jury to award $1.7 million in compensatory damages and $6 million in punitive damages.

The Court of Appeal (Fourth District, Division Three) reversed.  The court concluded that the plaintiff failed to introduce sufficient evidence that the accident resulted from a defect in the motorcycle, and that the trial court made multiple evidentiary and instructional errors. Accordingly, the court vacated the entire judgment including the punitive damages.