# Coppinger Color Lab, Inc. v. Nixon

> Tennessee Supreme Court · October 15, 1985 · 698 S.W.2d 72

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9682325

## Case

- **Full name:** COPPINGER COLOR LAB, INC., Majestic Color Studios, Inc., and Polykraft Corporation, and Florence M. Gordon, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Gene M. NIXON, Defendant-Appellant
- **Court:** Tennessee Supreme Court
- **Decided:** October 15, 1985
- **Citations:** 698 S.W.2d 72; 1985 Tenn. LEXIS 556
- **Precedential status:** Published
- **Opinion:** Concurring in part by Fones
- **Judges:** Brock, Cooper, Harbison, Drowota, Fones
- **Cited by:** 10 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

## Citator (automated)

- No negative treatment found by the automated citator. That is not the same as a confirmation that the case is good law; read the citing cases.
- Full citator and citing cases: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9682325

## Opinion text

FONES, Justice,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur with the majority opinion in all respects, except the approval of the award of $450,000 punitive damages to plaintiff Florence M. Gordon.
I agree that there was a valid reason for an award of punitive damages to Ms. Gordon, substantially in excess of the award to the corporate plaintiffs. However, in my opinion an award to Ms. Gordon of three times the amount awarded the corporate plaintiffs is the absolute upper limit of the range of reasonableness for a punitive damage award under the facts and circumstances of this case.
I therefore find that award of punitive damages to be excessive and I would reduce it from $450,000 to $300,000. See Smith v. Shelton, 569 S.W.2d 421 (Tenn.1978) wherein we adopted Justice Swep-ston’s dissent in Lambert Brothers v. Larkins, 200 Tenn. 674 , 296 S.W.2d 353 (1955) thereby authorizing this Court to reduce jury verdicts upon a defendant’s appeal, and further to reduce an award approved by both lower courts, where there is no material evidence to sustain it. I find no material evidence to sustain this punitive damage award in excess of $300,000.

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9682325. Public record. Not legal advice.