On December 18, 2002 a Phoenix federal jury awarded Kasowitz client Southern Union Co. $60 million in punitive damages against the Arizona Corporation Commissioner for improperly influencing the outcome of Southern Union's unsuccessful 1999 acquisition bid for Southwest Gas Corp. Kasowitz partner Eric Herschmann, lead trial counsel for Southern Union, commented in Dow Jones Business News that "the verdict sends the right message to [government regulators]" that "if they sell out their offices they'll be held accountable." The primary corporate defendants in the case, Southwest Gas Corp. and the competing bidder, ONEOK Inc., agreed to multi-million dollar settlements with Southern Union before trial. The December 18 verdict is believed to be the largest-ever punitive damages award against an individual person. The verdict was featured in a recent issue of the National Law Journal, which ranked it among the most significant verdicts of 2002.