Hibschman Pontiac, Inc. v. Batchelor
Indiana Supreme Court
362 N.E.2d 845 (1977)
- Written by Megan Schwarz, JD
Facts
Batchelor (plaintiff) approached Hibschman Pontiac, Inc. (defendant) to purchase a vehicle. Before purchasing, Batchelor inquired about the quality of the service department at Hibschman and was assured by several employees that the service department was excellent. Batchelor purchased a vehicle relying on this information. The vehicle subsequently required multiple repairs on multiple occasions. Each time, Hibschman assured Batchelor that all the defects had been repaired, but they had not. After numerous attempts made by Batchelor to have his car repaired, Hibschman eventually told Batchelor not to come back because he was a bad customer. Batchelor sued for breach of contract and oppressive conduct. At trial, the jury found for Batchelor and awarded him $15,000 in punitive damages. The Court of Appeals reversed the award for punitive damages, and Batchelor appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Givan, C.J.)
Concurrence (DeBruler, J.)
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