United Services Automobile Association v. Estate of Sylvia F. Minor, Kathryn Minor and Stephen Minor

Summary

The court affirmed the $10 million punitive-damages award and the $457,858.89 award of extra-contractual damages for attorneys’ fees, holding that the evidence permitted submission of punitive damages to the jury and that the award was not constitutionally disproportionate. The court also rejected USAA’s claims of instructional, discovery, evidentiary, and remittitur error. On the Estate’s cross-appeal, the court reversed and rendered an additional $4.5 million attorneys’ fee award, plus post-judgment interest, because the trial court abused its discretion by requiring the Estate to bear the fees incurred in pursuing the bad-faith claim.