Kendall Coffey and David Zack obtained an important win for a client, where the District Court of Appeals of the State of Florida clarified the availability of punitive damages in defamation cases. Coffey Burlington successfully challenged a trial court's order allowing a punitive damages claim to proceed without sufficient evidence of intentional misconduct or gross negligence. Accepting Coffey Burlington's  arguments, Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeals rejected the trial judge's decision and held instead that punitive damages for defamation may not be permitted based on "conclusory" and "self-serving" statements by plaintiff.

A copy of the opinion can be found here.