PHILADELPHIA (CN) - A federal judge declined to let legal publishing giant Thomson West completely nix a $5 million defamation verdict that a jury awarded two law professors.
The two professors now have the option of either taking $200,000 each or retrying their case against Thomson West.
U.S. District Judge John Fullam found Wednesday that the $90,000 each in compensatory damages awarded by the jury was "quite generous," but not excessive to the point that intervention was warranted.
The $5 million in punitive damages was "undoubtedly excessive," however, and $110,000 each was more appropriate, he wrote in a five-page decision.
Fullam's opinion may be among the last of the judge's illustrious - and sometimes controversial - tenure. The 89-year-old said last week that he would step down after over four decades on the federal bench.
Read the Top 8
Sign up for the Top 8, a roundup of the day's top stories delivered directly to your inbox Monday through Friday.
Additional Reads
-
-
Montana GOP seeks to bar 3rd parties from key US Senate race April 14, 2023
-
-
Jury begins deliberations in Alex Jones' Sandy Hook trial October 6, 2022