MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama Supreme Court is upholding a multi-million dollar verdict against a south Alabama timber processing company.
The justices ruled Friday that Monroe County-based Alabama River Group Inc. and its chief executive, George Landegger, must pay about $6 million to six wood dealers.
The companies filed suit claiming they were cheated into accepting lower prices based on Alabama River Group’s participation in a federal subsidy program. A jury in Monroeville awarded the companies more than $8 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
A judge reduced the verdict to $6.4 million and Alabama River Group appealed. The Supreme Court rejected claims that the verdict wasn’t based on the law and was excessive.
The court’s opinion says Landegger was under house arrest for a tax-related conviction during the civil trial in 2015.
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