What does punitive damages mean?

Definitions for punitive damages
puni·tive dam·ages

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word punitive damages.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. punitive damages, exemplary damages, smart moneynoun

    (law) compensation in excess of actual damages (a form of punishment awarded in cases of malicious or willful misconduct)

Wikipedia

  1. Punitive damages

    Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and/or to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. Although the purpose of punitive damages is not to compensate the plaintiff, the plaintiff will receive all or some of the punitive damages in award. Punitive damages are often awarded if compensatory damages are deemed an inadequate remedy. The court may impose them to prevent undercompensation of plaintiffs and to allow redress for undetectable torts and taking some strain away from the criminal justice system. Punitive damages are most important for violations of the law that are hard to detect.However, punitive damages awarded under court systems that recognize them may be difficult to enforce in jurisdictions that do not recognize them. For example, punitive damages awarded to one party in a US case would be difficult to get recognition for in a European court in which punitive damages are most likely to be considered to violate ordre public.Because they are usually paid in excess of the plaintiff's provable injuries, punitive damages are awarded only in special cases, usually under tort law, if the defendant's conduct was egregiously insidious. Punitive damages cannot generally be awarded in contract disputes. The main exception is in insurance bad faith cases in the US if the insurer's breach of contract is alleged to be so egregious as to amount to a breach of the "implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing", and is therefore considered to be a tort cause of action eligible for punitive damages (in excess of the value of the insurance policy).

ChatGPT

  1. punitive damages

    Punitive damages are monetary compensation awarded in civil lawsuits, over and above actual damages suffered by the plaintiff, in order to punish the defendant for gross negligence or severe misconduct and to deter them and others from committing similar actions in the future. They are also known as exemplary damages.

Wikidata

  1. Punitive damages

    Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. Although the purpose of punitive damages is not to compensate the plaintiff, the plaintiff will receive all or some portion of the punitive damage award. Punitive damages are often awarded where compensatory damages are deemed an inadequate remedy. The court may impose them to prevent under-compensation of plaintiffs, to allow redress for undetectable torts and taking some strain away from the criminal justice system. However, punitive damages awarded under court systems that recognize them may be difficult to enforce in jurisdictions that do not recognize them. For example, punitive damages awarded to one party in a US case would be difficult to get recognition for in a European court, where punitive damages are most likely to be considered to violate ordre public. Because they are usually paid in excess of the plaintiff's provable injuries, punitive damages are awarded only in special cases, usually under tort law, where the defendant's conduct was egregiously insidious. Punitive damages cannot generally be awarded in contract disputes. The main exception is in insurance bad faith cases in the United States, where the insurer's breach of contract is alleged to be so egregious as to amount to a breach of the "implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing," and is therefore considered to be a tort cause of action eligible for punitive damages.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of punitive damages in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of punitive damages in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of punitive damages in a Sentence

  1. Neama Rahmani:

    Punitive damages, on the other hand, are to punish someone for their wrongful conduct.

  2. Bruce Baron:

    This verdict along with the punitive damages awarded by the judges sends a strong message that teachers across New York state should take their position of authority very serious.

  3. Ethan Hee-Seok Shin:

    It’s unlikely that we will be able to, in the near future, investigate or prosecute these human rights violation cases from North Korea, having these civil lawsuits and being able to actually have these punitive damages or other financial penalties imposed on North Korea from a human rights angle, I think that’s pretty important.

  4. Marco Ramadori:

    The class action law in Italy is a swindle and has nothing to do with the real class action (cases) that you see in the United States, which, first and foremost, inflict punitive damages that have a concrete dissuasive effect.

  5. Benjamin McMichael:

    With such a large punitive damages award at issue, appellate courts may be more willing to come down hard on the plaintiffs.

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"punitive damages." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/punitive+damages>.

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