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" WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday stopped the carving of a punitive damages award against Exxon Mobil Corp., but a much more costly decision remains.<br /><br />The High Court's justices <a href=\"http://www.supremecourtus.gov/orders/courtorders/042108pzor.pdf\" class=\"copy\">declined to hear </a>Exxon's appeal of a $112 million award that was once much larger. Plaintiffs in Louisiana claimed Exxon contaminated land in Harvey with radioactive materials.<br /><br />Still pending before the Court is Exxon's appeal of a $2.5 billion punitive awards judgment stemming from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska.<br /><br />Several state attorneys general, including Washington's Rob McKenna, have <a href=\"http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/207486-mckenna-rustles-up-14-more-ags-to-boost-suit---update\" class=\"copy\">urged the Court </a>not to change the award.<br /><br />The Louisiana judgment was to originally cost Exxon $1 billion, but the amount was lowered because of its excessiveness.<br /><br />Exxon was ordered to pay $56 million in cleanup costs. The Supreme Court did not release the results of the voting, only saying that Justice Sam Alito did not participate.<br /><br />In November, the Alabama Supreme Court cut a $3.5 billion punitive damages award <a href=\"http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/203499-exxon-relieved-of-3-billion-obligation\" class=\"copy\">by almost $3 billion</a>.<br />"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://legalnewsline.com/stories/510518894-once-reduced-judgment-will-stand-u-s-justices-decide>