A U.S. District Judge has limited to...

A U.S. District Judge has limited to $2.5 million the damages owed by Mail Boxes Etc. to a former shareholder who successfully sued the San Diego company for misrepresenting the value of his stock.

The alleged misrepresentation occured just before the shareholder’s sale of shares back to the company in 1983.

Mail Boxes must also pay $750,000 in attorneys’ fees to the plaintiff, the judge ruled.

In September, a jury awarded $4 million to family members of Gerald Aul, a Mail Boxes Etc. co-founder.

The award was broken down into $2.5 million owed to Aul by the company and $1.5 million owed by Mail Boxes chief executive Tony De Sio.

On Monday, the court ruled that Mail Boxes faces a maximum liability of $2.5 million plus legal costs, De Sio said.

If Mail Boxes loses a planned appeal, it would be forced to pay $2.25 million, since $1 million of the liability is covered by insurance.

The liability works out to an after-tax cost to shareholders of about 35 cents a share, company sources said.