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BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore, 517 U.S. 559 (1996)

Full notes and cites: https://opinion-of-the-court.pages.dev/ep/071-bmw-of-north-america-inc-v-gore

Official text (U.S. Reports, Library of Congress): https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep517/usrep517559/usrep517559.pdf

Full text of the opinions, AI-narrated (Kokoro-82M, voice af_heart). Original introduction; opinion text is public domain. Not legal advice.

Dr. Ira Gore bought a new BMW in Birmingham, Alabama, and later learned it had been partly repainted before delivery because of acid-rain damage during shipping. BMW's policy was not to disclose repairs costing less than three percent of the car's price. An Alabama jury awarded four thousand dollars in compensatory damages and four million in punitive damages, which the Alabama Supreme Court cut to two million.

Justice Stevens, for a five-to-four majority, held that the award was grossly excessive and violated due process. He named three guideposts: the degree of reprehensibility of the conduct, the ratio between punitive and actual harm, here five hundred to one, and the civil penalties available for comparable misconduct.

Justice Breyer concurred. The dissenters made a strange coalition: Justices Scalia and Thomas, who said the Due Process Clause gives no protection against excessive verdicts, and Justice Ginsburg, joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist, who said the matter belonged to the states.

Citations: reporter citations were shortened or left out of the audio; every citation is listed on the website.

Cases named aloud

- TXO Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp., 509 U.S. 443 (1993) at 462 [as printed: Court’s expositions. See TXO Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp., 509 U. S. 443, 462; Dissent (Justice Ginsburg)] (episode link pending)

- Green Oil Co. v. Hornsby, 539 So.2d 218 (Ala. 1989) [as printed: Green Oil Co. v. Hornsby, 539 So. 2d 218 (Ala. 1989); Concurrence (Justice Breyer)] (episode link pending)

- Pacific Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Haslip, 499 U.S. 1 (1991) [as printed: Pacific Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Haslip, 499 U. S. 1 (1991); Dissent (Justice Ginsburg)] episode

- Gibbons v. Ogden, 9 Wheat. 1 (1824) at 194-196 [as printed: Gibbons v. Ogden, 9 Wheat. 1, 194-196 (1824); Opinion of the Court (Justice Stevens)] (episode link pending)

- Healy v. Beer Institute, 491 U.S. 324 (1989) at 335-336 (the Constitution has a “special concern both with the maintenance of a national economic union unfettered by state-imposed limitations on interstate commerce and with the autonomy of the individual States within their respective spheres” (footnote omitted)) [as printed: Healy v. Beer Institute, 491 U. S. 324, 335-336 (1989) (the Constitution has a “special concern both with the maintenance of a national economic union unfettered by state-imposed limitations on interstate commerce and with the autonomy of the individual States within their respective spheres” (footnote omitted)); Opinion of the Court (Justice Stevens)] (episode link pending)

- Edgar v. MITE Corp., 457 U.S. 624 (1982) at 643 [as printed: Edgar v. MITE Corp., 457 U. S. 624, 643 (1982); Opinion of the Court (Justice Stevens)] (episode link pending)

(+27 more named aloud; see the website)

Full list of 206 citations not read aloud: https://opinion-of-the-court.pages.dev/ep/071-bmw-of-north-america-inc-v-gore