What are exemplary damages for breach of fiduciary duty Texas?

Asked by: Dr. Jackson Kihn  |  Last update: September 18, 2025
Score: 4.4/5 (60 votes)

(5) "Exemplary damages" means any damages awarded as a penalty or by way of punishment but not for compensatory purposes. Exemplary damages are neither economic nor noneconomic damages. 'Exemplary damages' includes punitive damages. (6) "Fraud" means fraud other than constructive fraud.

What are exemplary damages in a breach of fiduciary duty?

Exemplary damages in a breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit

Exemplary damages go above and beyond the monetary losses incurred by the breach. The intention of exemplary damages is to punish the breaching party.

What are the damages for breach of fiduciary duty in Texas?

Damages: The plaintiff must prove that they suffered damages as a result of the breach of fiduciary duty. These damages can include economic damages such as lost profits, as well as non-economic damages such as emotional distress.

What are exemplary damages in Texas?

Punitive damages are defined by statute. They are also known as exemplary damages. According to the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §40.011(5), exemplary damages are awarded to penalize or punish. The damages are not intended to compensate the victim for a loss.

What damages can be done from breach of fiduciary duty?

Available remedies for a breach of fiduciary duty can include:
  • Lost profits.
  • Out of pocket losses.
  • Mental anguish damages.
  • These must be separate from monetary losses and must be foreseeable.
  • Exemplary damages.
  • Also called punitive damages, these damages are awarded to punish the responsible party or parties.

Damages for Breach of Fiduciary Duty | Jenice L. Malecki

36 related questions found

How hard is it to prove breach of fiduciary duty?

Proving an Actual Breach of Fiduciary Duty Is Difficult

If you are arguing that the fiduciary was careless, you will need to prove what they did or did not do. For example, if they caused you a significant loss by not doing due diligence on a transaction, you must prove what work they did.

What are the equitable remedies for breach of fiduciary duty?

A claimant who has established a breach of fiduciary duty will typically have the option to choose between two remedies: (a) an account of any profits earned by the defendant as a result of the breach or (b) equitable compensation for any loss sustained by the claimant as a result of the breach.

What is exemplary damages examples?

Examples of acts warranting exemplary damages: publishing that someone had committed murders when the publisher knew it was not true but hated the person; an ex-husband trashes his former wife's auto and threatens further property damage; a stockbroker buys and sells a widow's stocks to generate commissions resulting ...

What are exemplary damages allowed?

One of the circumstances in which the right to exemplary damages may remain is where there has been oppressive action by a government servant. Against that background, had he won his libel action, he would have been awarded exemplary damages.

Does Texas have a cap on punitive damages?

Punitive damages cannot exceed the greater of two times the economic damages or losses plus the noneconomic damages not exceeding $750,000 or $200,000. . Those exceptions to the caps are mainly for criminal acts, such as sexual assault, intoxication assault, intoxication manslaughter, and other severe acts.

What is the standard of proof for breach of fiduciary duty?

The standard for proving a breach of fiduciary duty varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Typically, a claim for breach of fiduciary duty includes four elements: 1) the existence of a fiduciary duty; 2) a breach of that duty (through an act or omission); 3) damages; and 4) causation.

What are the three breaches of fiduciary duty?

A fiduciary cannot use its position of trust to further private interests. In our experience, litigation often results from three common species of loyalty breaches: (1) self-dealing transactions, (2) usurpation of business opportunities, and (3) misappropriation of company funds for personal use.

What is the Texas Penal Code for breach of fiduciary duty?

(b) A person commits an offense if he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly misapplies property he holds as a fiduciary or property of a financial institution in a manner that involves substantial risk of loss to the owner of the property or to a person for whose benefit the property is held.

What is the difference between damages and exemplary damages?

Exemplary damages are awarded in addition to general damages where the court wishes, in addition to compensating the claimant for their loss, to punish the defendant.

What are the remedies for breach of fiduciary duty in Texas?

Texas rules allow a plaintiff to request a temporary restraining order and/or a temporary injunction to provide such relief. A court has the authority to enter temporary injunctive relief to protect a breach-of-fiduciary-duty plaintiff from irreparable injury and to maintain the status quo.

Which one of the following is an example of breach of fiduciary duty?

These include: Fraud that is committed by a trustee or an executor. Embezzlement that is carried out by an administrator or executor. Negligent or intentional oversight or investment of assets that were held in a trust or by an estate.

What are the principles of exemplary damages?

Exemplary damages are awarded where the court considers it necessary to punish the defendant and, incidentally, to deter other individuals from a similar course of conduct.

How do exemplary damages differ from punitive damages?

Punitive damages go beyond compensating the aggrieved party. They are specifically designed to punish defendants whose conduct is considered grossly negligent or intentional. Punitive damages are also referred to as exemplary damages as they are intended to set an example to deter others from committing similar acts.

Is emotional distress punitive damage?

If the emotional distress was caused by reckless or intentional actions, such as harassment or extreme negligence, courts may award punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. Punitive damages are meant to punish the defendant and deter similar conduct in the future.

What are exemplary damages in Texas law?

(5) "Exemplary damages" means any damages awarded as a penalty or by way of punishment but not for compensatory purposes. Exemplary damages are neither economic nor noneconomic damages. 'Exemplary damages' includes punitive damages.

What are vindictive or exemplary damages?

(3) Vindictive or exemplary damages : – These damages are allowed in case of the breach of a contract to marry or dishonour of a cheque by a banker wrongfully. This type of damageds may be awarded to the other party taking into consideration the injury caused to his or her feelings.

What are consequential or exemplary damages?

Consequential damages refer to more significant, situation-specific losses, like lost profits or damaged reputation, and are only recoverable if the breaching party knew about the potential for such losses when the contract was formed.

What damages are recoverable for breach of fiduciary duty?

Lost profits, Unnecessary losses, Punitive damages, Any illicit gains made by the fiduciary, and.

What is the test for breach of fiduciary duty?

WHAT CONSTITUTES A BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTY? A breach can occur under three categories: care, loyalty and candor. In short, these three categories mean, respectively, that a fiduciary must act in a reasonable and prudent way, they must act in the best interests of their beneficiary (i.e. an employer, client, etc.)

What is the relief for breach of fiduciary duty?

Equitable remedies: The court may also grant equitable remedies in a breach of fiduciary duty case. Equitable relief includes injunctions, a full accounting, rescission of a contract that is the basis of the breach of fiduciary duty claim, and profit disgorgement.