the question is for my business law class

You have most likely heard of the Liebeck v. McDonalds case. Liebeck spilled hot McDonalds coffee in her lap, suffering third degree burns. At trial, evidence showed that her cup of coffee was brewed at 190 degrees, and that, more typically, a restaurants hot coffee is in the range of 140160 degrees. A jury awarded Liebeck $160,000 in compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages. The judge reduced the punitive award to $480,000, or three times the compensatory award.

Comment on the case, and whether the result was reasonable.