What are exemplary or punitive damages?

Asked by: Miss Sabrina Koelpin  |  Last update: August 7, 2022
Score: 4.6/5 (17 votes)

Punitive damages are also called “exemplary damages,” which are damages assessed in the legal process to punish a defendant for negligence. The defendant is usually a company or other large entity. Examples would medical malpractice cases or product liability cases.

What are exemplary damages?

What are exemplary damages? The punitive and exemplary damages definition is as follows: an award given to victims when the conduct of the individual who caused the victim harm is willfully malicious, violent, oppressive, fraudulent, wanton, or grossly reckless.

What is punitive or exemplary damage exclusion?

PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES. EXCLUSION. This policy does not apply to a claim or indemnification for "punitive or exemplary damages." "Punitive or exemplary damages" means damages imposed to punish a wrongdoer and to deter others from similar conduct.

What are special and punitive damages?

General and special damages are compensatory damages, which serve to compensate the plaintiff for economic loss and pain and suffering, attempting to make them whole. Punitive damages are meant to punish the defendant for his or her negligence or recklessness.

What are the two purposes of punitive damages?

Punitive damages are sometimes referred to as “exemplary” damages, because they also serve as an example to dissuade the defendant from behaving that way in the future, and to deter others from engaging in similar conduct.

What are PUNITIVE DAMAGES? What do PUNITIVE DAMAGES mean? PUNITIVE DAMAGES meaning & explanation

43 related questions found

What are the 3 types of damages?

Types of Damages
  • COMPENSATORY. Compensatory damages are generally the most identifiable and concrete type of damages. ...
  • GENERAL. General damages are sought in conjunction with compensatory damages. ...
  • PUNITIVE. Punitive damages are meant to punish a Defendant for particularly egregious conduct.

What do you mean by punitive?

Definition of punitive

: inflicting, involving, or aiming at punishment severe punitive measures.

What's the difference between compensatory and punitive damages?

Compensatory damages are given to the injured victim to help pay for medical expenses and other damages created, while punitive damages are meant to penalize the at-fault party.

What are the four main elements that must be proven in a negligence claim?

Negligence claims must prove four things in court: duty, breach, causation, and damages/harm. Generally speaking, when someone acts in a careless way and causes an injury to another person, under the legal principle of "negligence" the careless person will be legally liable for any resulting harm.

How often are punitive damages awarded?

However, statistical studies by law professors and the Department of Justice have found that punitive damages are only awarded in two percent of civil cases which go to trial, and that the median punitive damage award is between $38,000 and $50,000.

How are punitive damages calculated?

6 Factors That Determine Your Punitive Damages
  1. The nature of your injuries.
  2. The unreasonableness of the defendant's conduct.
  3. The comparative strength of the defendant to you.
  4. Your change in life following the event.
  5. Your compensatory damages.
  6. The defendant's resources.

What does punitive damages mean in insurance?

Punitive Damages — damages in excess of those required to compensate the plaintiff for the wrong done, which are imposed in order to punish the defendant because of the particularly wanton or willful nature of his or her wrongdoing.

For what reason would a court of law award punitive damages in a lawsuit?

Punitive damages are awarded when the court wants to punish the responsible party for their outrageous conduct. These damages are also meant to prevent others from engaging in future similar conduct.

Why are exemplary damages awarded?

Exemplary damages could be awarded in an action of tort where the defendant has not only committed a legal wrong but has also behaved in an outrageous and insulting manner.

What are exemplary damages and in what circumstances are exemplary damages granted?

“[33] The exemplary damages or punitive damages—the two terms now regarded as interchangeable—are additional damages awarded with reference to the conduct of the defendant, to signify disapproval, condemnation or denunciation of the defendant's tortious act, and to punish the defendant.

What is the most difficult element of negligence to prove?

Many articles discuss what negligence is and how to prove it, but the least understood element among these four is causation. Additionally, out of these four elements, causation is typically the most difficult to prove, especially in medical malpractice cases.

What are the three major defenses to negligence?

Three of the most common doctrines are contributory negligence, comparative fault, and assumption of risk.

What 4 elements must a plaintiff prove?

The four elements that a plaintiff must prove to win a negligence suit are 1) Duty, 2) Breach, 3) Cause, and 4) Harm.

What are the four types of damages?

One of the most common remedies comes in the form of damages, or monetary awards, which are further broken down into four general categories.
  • Compensatory Damages. Compensatory damages (or “actual damages”) are specifically meant to make up for the plaintiff's losses. ...
  • Punitive Damages. ...
  • Liquidation Damages. ...
  • Nominal Damages.

What are the 3 types of compensatory damages?

The three types of damages are economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages.

What are the 5 types of damages?

There are six different types of damages: compensatory, incidental, consequential, nominal, liquidated, and (sometimes) punitive.

What are punitive actions?

Punitive describes inflicting a punishment. If someone takes punitive action against you, you'll probably whine and complain — you're in trouble and you're about to get punished.

What is a punitive penalty?

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

What are punitive strikes?

It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior by miscreants, as revenge or corrective action, or to apply strong diplomatic pressure without a formal declaration of war (e.g. surgical strike).

What three 3 Things Must a court consider in reviewing punitive damages?

To ensure that unconstitutional punishment is not imposed in the form of punitive damages, the Court has set forth three "guideposts" for courts to consider in reviewing punitive damages awards: "(1) the degree of reprehensibility of the defendant's misconduct; (2) the disparity between the actual or potential harm ...