W.Va. Governor Urges Court to Accept Review of Punitive Damage Awards

CHARLESTOWN, W.Va. -- The Governor of West Virginia has urged the state's highest court to review a $196 million punitive damages award, saying that the issue is one of "vital importance." E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Co. v. Perrine, No. n/a (W.Va. Sup. Ct. App.).

In the June 24 filing, Governor Joe Manchin III said that the dispute "raises significant due process concerns," and, as such, the West Virginia high court should take the opportunity to clarify the law on punitive damages.

"[T]he possibility that an award of punitive damages could be summarily upheld through the refusal of …