1.   But specialists in business law are deeply divided over the role that unpredictable damage awards in general and punitive damages in particular should play in civil justice.

2.   While finding compelling evidence that the plaintiffs were discriminated against, the judge wrote in his ruling that the damages awarded were excessive relative to the incidents.

3.   While the fraud verdict is likely to stand, judges and appeals courts routinely reduce big damage awards, said University of Virginia Law School Professor Michael Dooley.

4.   The jury is now considering how much compensatory damages to award three representative plaintiffs in the class action.

5.   --Upheld the right of citizen groups to sue alleged polluters under the Clean Water Act even though any financial damages awarded would be paid to the federal government.

6.   The directors and the victorious shareholders all plan to appeal the ruling, with the PSPD saying the damages awarded were too small.