The Appellate Court held that the punitive damages award was not unconstitutionally excessive, as:
- the individuals' conduct was sufficiently reprehensible to justify the award. (The Plaintiff presented evidence that the individuals intentionally acted to protect themselves, to suppress an investigation, and to punish Plaintiff.)
- the award was within an appropriate ratio to compensatory damages.
The Appellate Court further held that the trial court properly limited the Plaintiff's breach of contract damages to one year of severance pay, reduced his recovery for lost wages by the amount of his actual earnings after he was fired, and awarded only a portion of his costs.
The Appellate Court also held that the collateral source rule does not apply to Plaintiff's claims in a wrongful termination case.