08-0074 Thomas O. Bennett Jr. and James B. Bonham Corp. v. Randy Reynolds from San Saba County and the Third District Court of Appeals, Austin For petitioners: Susan S. Vance, Austin For respondent: David Keltner, Fort Worth The principal issues in this dispute over cattle belonging to one rancher allegedly sold by another are (1) whether $1.25 million in punitive damages violates due process when actual damages were $5,300; (2) whether agency principles support punitive damages against a corporation for its president's acts; and (3) whether punitive damages against the corporation may be based on "reverse veil-piercing." In this case Reynolds sued Bennett and the Bonham corporation for conversion, alleging Bennett sold Reynolds' cattle on the corporation's land. Bennett's daughters own the corporation. Bennett, the president but not a shareholder, lives on the corporate property and runs his own cattle on it without charge. The court of appeals affirmed the punitive damages. The first argument begins at 9 a.m. in the courtroom in Austin. Each side will have 20 minutes for argument. This advisory serves only as an abbreviated guide to oral argument. Summaries are prepared by the Court's staff attorney for public information and reflect his judgment alone on facts and legal issues and in no way represent the Court's opinion about case merits. Texas Supreme Court advisory Contact: Osler McCarthy, Staff Attorney for Public Information (512) 463.1441 or email: osler.mccarthy@courts.state.tx.us

The principal issues in this malicious-prosecution case are (1) whether legally sufficient evidence supports the jury's finding that Bennett and the Bonham company got Grant indicted by deception; (2) whether more than $1 million in exemplary damages on $10,700 actual damages violated constitutional parameters; and (3) whether the trial court abused its discretion by allowing Grant, the plaintiff, to join the Bonham Corp. as a third-party defendant.