Federal Court Reduces Punitive Damages in Diacetyl Case Against Gilster-Mary Lee

DENVER — A federal judge has granted the post-trial relief sought by Gilster-Mary Lee Corp. and other defendants in a popcorn-flavoring case, reducing non-economic and punitive damages to statutory limits and reducing a $7.2 million judgment by more than half.

The statutory reductions resulted in an amended judgment of $3,044,829.80 against trial defendants Gilster-Mary Lee, Kroger Co. and Dillon Companies Inc. In a separate order, the court awarded attorneys’ fees of $826,500 to plaintiffs.

Judge Wiley Y. Daniel’s Aug. 28 order on defendants’ Motion to Alter or Amend Final Judgment follows a decision in April in which he denied their …