Kentucky.com reports that a jury has awarded $42.75 million, including $40 million in punitive damages, against a nursing home that allegedly neglected a 92-year-old man, resulting in his death. The defendant plans to appeal.
Although the Kentucky appellate courts have been known to uphold some questionable punitive damages awards, this award is not likely to survive, given the 14.5-to-1 ratio between the punitive and compensatory damages.