Supreme Court slashes Exxon Valdez damage awards

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the damages awarded by lower courts in the Exxon Valdez pollution case should be slashed by 80 percent, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Alaskans who were harmed by the 1989 oil spill were disppointed with the ruling. The justices voted 5-3 to limit punitive damages in maritime cases to no more than the compensatory damages, or actual damages.
 
Click here to view the newspaper’s story.
By Professional Mariner Staff