Exxon Valdez punitive damages thrown out

The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has thrown out a punitive damage award against Exxon Mobil related to the 1989 oil spill from the Exxon Valdez. The original $5bn punitive damage award for local fisherman was thrown out previously by the Court of Appeal, and was then reduced to $4bn. However, this too has now been sent back to the district court for reconsideration. The move is said to be due a recent decision in the US Supreme Court that in certain cases, punitive damages should not be more than the actual damages. In this case, the actual damages were $287mn.