A federal judge in Missouri recently rejected Valvoline’s attempts to apply state law requirements as to whether punitive damage claims can be included in a plaintiff’s initial complaint.
In a decision last week, U.S. District Judge John A. Ross of the Eastern District of Missouri shot down the retail automotive servicer’s requests for oral argument in a dispute over whether the plaintiff’s request for punitive damages was properly included in her complaint. Valvoline argued that Missouri law applied to the plaintiff’s punitive damages claims, arguing the request violates Missouri Revised Statutes Section 510.261.5, which provides that initial pleadings shouldn’t contain a claim for punitive damage awards.