Hendrickson v. Cooper, No. 09-1375

In an inmate's 42 U.S.C. section 1983 action against an officer at a prison facility claiming that the officer attacked him without justification, jury verdict in favor of plaintiff-inmate is affirmed where: 1) the evidence amply supports the jury's verdict that the officer violated plaintiff's Eighth Amendment rights as he attacked the plaintiff for the malicious purpose of causing harm; 2) jury's award of $75,000 was rationally connected to plaintiff's evidence of pain and suffering; and 3) jury's award of $125,000 in punitive damages is not excessive and the jury heard ample evidence that the defendant acted with the malicious desire to cause plaintiff harm.   

Read Hendrickson v. Cooper, No. 09-1375

Appellate Information

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Terre Haute Division

Decided December 21, 2009

Judges

Before:  Manion, Sykes, and Tinder, Circuit Judges

Opinion by TInder, Circuit Judge