Excessive Verdict Law and Legal Definition
Excessive verdict is an unduly high verdict that results from the jury's passion or prejudice. It is a verdict that shocks the conscience of the court because it appears to stem from extraneous factors such as bias against the defendant or from factors extraneous the judicial proceedings. For example, when the jury is overly swayed by emotionally draining evidence. When the verdicts are deemed excessive, like when money damages awarded far exceed the compensation given in similar cases the judge can order a decrease of the award.
