punitive damages
26
8.8
- noun
- /ˈpjuːnɪtɪv ˈdæmɪdʒɪz/
- Formal
:
daños punitivos
- The court awarded each family $50 million for pain and suffering and $150 million for punitive damages.
- punitive damages awarded
- compensatory and punitive damages
- punitive damages statute
And he suggested that the jury give his client punitive damages equal to two days worth of profits that McDonald's make serving coffee.
- And he suggested that the jury give his client punitive damages equal to two days worth of profits that McDonald's make serving coffee.
Examples
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Further, it involved a high-stakes tort suit against a corporation in which the plaintiff sought punitive damages.
Academic text (2017) -
The panel awarded $1 million in punitive damages to James Jackson of Pascagoula.
Academic text (2001) -
Look at the states in this country that do not have punitive damages.
Academic text (1999) -
People will say that punitive damages are usually reduced or thrown out on appeal.
Academic text (1997) -
"And we, the jury, find for the plaintiff "and award punitive damages in the amount of $50 million."
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The court subsequently reduced the punitive damage award to the state's statutory cap of $350,000.
Academic text (2000) -
The court assessed the teacher compensatory and punitive damages of $15,000.
Academic text (2001) -
A jury awarded the Wards $26.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages (Smith 1999).
Academic text (2000) -
The jury awarded the plaintiff punitive damages to punish the defendant for his recklessness.
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In cases of extreme negligence, courts often grant punitive damages to deter similar behavior in the future.
Synonyms
Money a court gives to punish someone for causing serious harm and to stop others
Money a court gives to punish someone for doing something wrong
Antonyms
- Specialized
5
6.3
Money paid to someone for a real loss or injury caused by another
How Punitive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'punitive' (designed to punish) modifies 'damages' (financial compensation), so a learner who knows both words can infer that these are monetary awards meant to punish rather than merely compensate. There is a legal nuance about exceeding compensatory amounts, but the core concept is transparent and similar cross-linguistically, so it should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
Punitive damages comes from the idea of using money as punishment: punitive means 'to punish' and damages are the money paid for harm. So a court gives extra money not just to pay the victim but 'to punish' the wrongdoer and stop others from doing the same.