Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Epic Systems Corporation v. Tata Consultancy Services Limited, et al.
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, No. 19-1528, 19-1613 · judgment November 19, 2020
Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Question presented
In this case involving a proven theft of trade secrets and other state law torts, a properly-instructed jury awarded plaintiff Epic Systems Corporation (“Epic”) $140 million in compensatory damages. The jury also awarded punitive damages, which the district court reduced to $280 million through its application of a Wisconsin statute that caps punitive damages at two times the compensatory award. On appeal, defendant Tata Consulting Services (“TCS”) did not contest liability but challenged the compensatory and punitive damage awards. The Seventh Circuit upheld the compensatory award and upheld Epic’s entitlement to punitive damages. It found, however, that despite the Wisconsin statute, which placed TCS on notice of the risk a jury could award punitive damages up to the defined multiple, the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution prohibited an award of punitive damages in an amount greater than the amount of the compensatory award. The question presented is as follows: Does a state statute that expressly caps punitive damages at two times compensatory damages satisfy the notice requirement of the Due Process Clause such that a punitive damages award that complies with the statute is constitutionally sound under the Due Process Clause?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Michael T. Brody
Jenner & Block LLP
For respondent
Carter G. Phillips
Sidley Austin LLP
Case
Conference history
Distributed for 3 conferences
Amicus briefs
1 cert-stage
Proceedings
- Mar 21 2022Petition DENIED. Justice Barrett took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition.
- Mar 02 2022DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/18/2022.
- Mar 01 2022Supplemental brief of respondents Tata Consultancy Services Limited & Tata America International Corporation (d/b/a TCS America) filed. (Distributed)
- Feb 25 2022Supplemental brief of petitioner Epic Systems Corporation filed.
- Feb 15 2022Brief amicus curiae of United States filed.
- Oct 12 2021The Acting Solicitor General is invited to file a brief in this case expressing the views of the United States. Justice Barrett took no part in the consideration of this petition.
- Oct 04 2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/8/2021.
- Jun 30 2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/27/2021.
- Jun 28 2021Reply of petitioner Epic Systems Corporation filed. (Distributed)
- Jun 11 2021Brief of respondent Tata Consultancy Services Limited & Tata America International Corporation (d/b/a TCS America) in opposition filed.
- Apr 16 2021Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including June 11, 2021.
- Apr 15 2021Motion to extend the time to file a response from May 12, 2021 to June 11, 2021, submitted to The Clerk.
- Apr 06 2021Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due May 12, 2021)