Corporations Win Criminal-Fine Limits in Top Court Ruling
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The U.S. Supreme Court made it more difficult for prosecutors to secure stiff fines for corporate wrongdoing, ruling that jurors must play a greater role in determining how large criminal penalties can be.
The justices in a 6-3 vote today set aside a $6 million fine and $12 million in community service obligations imposed against Southern Union Co. for illegally storing liquid mercury. The court said a judge couldn’t constitutionally impose a fine that large without a specific jury finding about the length of time the mercury was stored.