Originally Posted by the_idle_threat
"[H]aving their lives destroyed" seems more than a little dramatic.
Freakout, you said you're a plaintiff in this case. Has your life been destroyed? Really?
I can see folks getting compensatory damages, like the fishermen, for intance. Perfectly reasonable.
But punitive damages are meant to punish outrageous conduct for the sake of deterrence, and I don't think anyone can argue that Exxon and other big oil companies are plenty convinced that another spill is a horrible idea. Since the deterrence effect is minimal, this is nothing but a money grab.
And watch the same folks who demonize big oil and want to see a big punitive award turn around and criticize companies for "discriminating" against people with drinking problems. It's a disease, you know ...