BMW of North America V. Gore

BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore
· Case Name and Citation: Plaintiff in this case is Dr. Gore and Defendant is BMW of North America. This case may be found in volume 116 of the Supreme Court Reporter, starting on page 1589. The Supreme Court decided this case in 1996.
· Key facts and Judgment of court holding: The plaintiff Dr. Gore purchased a new BMW automobile in Alabama. Dr. Gore noticed that the paint on the vehicle was flawed after nine months. BMW acknowledged that it had a nationwide policy that if the cost of repairing damages done during manufacturing or transportation did not exceed 3% of the retail value, the automobile was sold as new. The Jury returned a verdict finding BMW liable for compensatory damages of $4000. In addition jury assessed a $ 4million in punitive damages, based on the determination that the nondisclosure policy constituted “gross, oppressive or malicious” fraud. The Alabama Supreme Court reduced the punitive damages from 4 million to ...