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Photo by Al Grillo / The Associated Press
In this June 23, 1989 photo, the Exxon Valdez is pictured being towed out of Prince William Sound in Alaska by a tug boat and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. The Supreme Court on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, slashed the $2.5 billion punitive damages award in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster to $500 million. The court ruled that victims of the worst oil spill in U.S. history may collect punitive damages from Exxon Mobil Corp., but not as much as a federal appeals court determined.
