- punitive damages
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punitive damages see damage 2
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- punitive damages
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See: exemplary damagesCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- punitive damages
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Also known as exemplary damages, retributory damages or vindictive damages.Damages awarded in excess of the claimant's loss. They are intended to punish the defendant and are more closely connected to criminal law than tort or contract. Punitive damages are awarded occasionally in tort cases to mark the court's disapproval of the defendant's conduct (for example, in defamation actions); they are not available for breach of contract, as damages in contract are awarded on a compensatory basis. Under the present law, punitive damages cannot be awarded unless:• The wrongdoer has committed a legal wrong for which punitive damages were awarded before 1964; and• The wrongdoer's conduct falls into one or other of two limited categories of abuse of power by servants of government, or conduct which was motivated by the pursuit of profits.Related links+ punitive damages, also known as exemplary damagesUSAThe amount of money awarded to the claimant in civil litigation to punish the wrongdoer and to deter the wrongdoer and others from engaging in unlawful conduct in the future. Punitive damages must bear a reasonable relationship to the harm caused by the wrongdoer's actions, and are reserved only for situations in which the wrongdoer acted intentionally, recklessly or with gross negligence in causing the claimant's harm. Punitive damages are awarded to the claimant in addition to compensatory damages. Punitive damages generally may not be recovered for breach of contract.
Practical Law Dictionary. Glossary of UK, US and international legal terms. www.practicallaw.com. 2010.
- punitive damages
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Monetary compensation awarded to an injured party that goes beyond that which is necessary to compensate the individual for losses and that is intended to punish the wrongdoer.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- punitive damages
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I
Monetary compensation awarded to an injured party that goes beyond that which is necessary to compensate the individual for losses and that is intended to punish the wrongdoer.II Money award given to punish the defendant or wrongdoer.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
- punitive damages
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n.(synony- mous with exemplary damages), damages awarded in a lawsuit as a punishment and example to others for malicious, evil or particularly fraudulent acts.See also: exemplary damages
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.