SUMPTER v. MATTESON
Jury's determination to award plaintiff $13,317 in economic damages in her suit against defendant who caused vehicle collision while high on methamphetamine rather than claimed medical bills of $131,282, based on conclusion that only a small portion of medical bills were causally related to collision, was not inadequate as a matter of law and was supported by substantial evidence where medical testimony did not establish causal link with collision, and plaintiff suffered other injuries requiring treatment both prior and subsequent to collision. Plaintiffs are never entitled to punitive damages as a matter of right, even if there is abundant evidence that a defendant acted with conscious disregard for safety of others, and jury acted within its prerogative when it found defendant acted without malice.
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