WMH, INC. v. Thomas , 260 Ga. 654 ( 1990 )

Hunt, Justice,

dissenting.

I respectfully dissent because I disagree with those portions of the opinion which conclude (I suppose as a matter of law) that the awards of punitive damages were to punish rather than deter. The absence of a discernible relationship between the amount of actual damages and the amount of punitive damages does not necessarily invalidate the latter. See Hosp. Auth. of Gwinnett County v. Jones, 259 Ga. 759, 762 (2), fn. 9 (386 SE2d 120) (1989).

Decided December 4, 1990 — Reconsideration denied December 19, 1990. Butler, Wooten, Overby & Cheeley, James E. Butler, Jr., for appellees. Harmon, Owen, Saunders & Sweeney, H. Andrew Owen, Jr., David C. Will, Thomas L. Murphy, Benny Byrd, Jr., amici curiae.