Rescar, Inc. v. Ward
Rescar, Inc. appealed a $3.3 million judgment after terminating its at-will employee, James Ward. Ward had sued for wrongful termination (Sabine Pilot claim), retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, winning on all counts at trial. The appellate court reversed the intentional infliction of emotional distress finding, reducing the judgment by $1,000,000, ruling that Rescar's conduct and Ward's distress did not meet the "extreme and outrageous" or "severe" thresholds. However, the court affirmed the Sabine Pilot wrongful termination claim and upheld the $500,000 punitive damages, finding sufficient evidence of Rescar's malice in blackballing Ward within the railroad industry. The final judgment was therefore partially affirmed and partially reversed.