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Punitive Damages Law Caps Hog Lawsuit

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Two weeks ago, 10 Bladen county residents were awarded $5 million each in punitive damages after winning a hog nuisance lawsuit against Murphy-Brown/Smithfield Foods. This week U.S. District Judge Earl Britt severely cut the award. Instead of the millions they were expecting, the plaintiffs will each get only $250,000.

Michelle Nowlin is a clinical professor of law at Duke University and supervising attorney for the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic. She joins host Frank Stasio to talk about a 1995 law that caps punitive damages. She also explains why exemptions provided to hog farmers make regulation difficult and winning a claim against them almost impossible. 

 

The State of ThingsMichelle NowlinHog FarmingEnvironmental LawEnvironmental Justice
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Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
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Dana Terry
Dana is an award-winning producer who began as a personality at Rock 92. Once she started creating content for morning shows, she developed a love for producing. Dana has written and produced for local and syndicated commercial radio for over a decade. WUNC is her debut into public radio and she’s excited to tell deeper, richer stories.
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