United States Seventh Circuit

In an inmate's 42 U.S.C. section 1983 action against an officer at a prison facility claiming that the officer attacked him without justification, jury verdict in favor of plaintiff-inmate is affirmed where: 1) the evidence amply supports the jury's verdict that the officer violated plaintiff's Eighth Amendment rights as he attacked the plaintiff for the malicious purpose of causing harm; 2) jury's award of $75,000 was rationally connected to plaintiff's evidence of pain and suffering; and 3) jury's award of $125,000 in punitive damages is not excessive and the jury heard ample evidence that the defendant acted with the malicious desire to cause plaintiff harm.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/21/2009
• Published 12/21/2009

Judges

• TINDER, Circuit Judge., Before MANION, SYKES, and TINDER, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Margaret M. Christensen, Phillip J. Fowler, Attorney (argued), Bingham Mchale LLP, Indianapolis, IN, for Plaintiff-Appellee., David L. Steiner, Attorney (argued), Office of the Attorney General, Indianapolis, IN, for Defendant-Appellant.