Another note or two:
1. Damages might be reduced on appeal but, if not, this will really sting for Oberlin. Why?
2. Its insurer apparently is denying coverage because the wrongs committed were intentional and that removes them from coverage.
3. The legal fee award approved by the jury is likely tied to a contingent fee arrangement and will likely add as much as $10 million to the final price tag.
Bottom line for the risk to Oberlin: $11.4 million compensatory damages; $22.8 million punitive damages; $10 million attorneys' fees = $44.2 million judgment, an astounding number for something the college could easily have quelled at or near inception for almost nothing. Again, this could be reversed or modified on appeal but who in the world would want to be fighting from that position?