Sandahl

On January 31, 1995, 66-year-old plaintiff Reba Gregory broke her hip and shoulder in a fall at Beverly Manor, a nursing home in Yreka. Gregory, through her daughter and conservator, Christine Sandahl, sued defendants Beverly Enterprises, Inc. (BEI), Beverly Enterprises-Califomia, Inc., Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services, Inc. (BHRS), and Chuck Williams for elder abuse under the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult *518 Civil Protection Act (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 15600 et seq.) (Elder Abuse Act), negligence, and fraud. Her complaint sought compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.

The jury returned special verdicts in favor of Gregory on all three causes of action, and found defendants acted with malice, oppression, or fraud with respect to the claims of elder abuse and fraud. It awarded Gregory $365,580.71 in compensatory damages, and $94,720,450 in punitive damages.

On defendants’ motion, the court conditionally granted a new trial unless Gregory accepted reduction of compensatory damages to $124,480.57, and reduction of punitive damages to $3 million. Gregory accepted the remittitur. The court then awarded Gregory attorney fees in the amount of…