The Supreme Court Wednesday overturned $2.9 billion in punitive damages against Exxon Mobil Corp. for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska.
The court ruled the punitive damages were excessive under federal maritime law, saying they should not exceed the amount of the $507 million in compensatory damages the company had already been ordered to pay.
Plaintiff Osa Schultz discusses what the ruling means to fisherman with Madeleine Brand.
"It was like getting the rug pulled out from under you, just when you had the room set up," she says.
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