Do you know what punitive damages are and why they are so important to your recovery of damages? Arepunitive damages appropriate when claiming that someone intentionally interferred with your inheritance? Learn more from a recent case out of the Third District Court of Appealsabout punitive damages.
- punitive damages are designed to punish a defendant, as opposed to compensatory damages which are aimed at making the plaintiff whole again.
- So if you were supposed to inherit a million from your father in Boca and someone interferred compensatory damages only entitle you to that million punitives on the other hand are aimed at deterring the party comitting the tort and thus can exceed into milllions of dollars.
- But what does the court consider when assessing punitive damages? The financial situation of the defendant, the egregiousness of the conduct, existence of malice or ill intent, the size of the compensatory damages? Can you think of any other ones?
United Automobile Ins. Co. v. Darwin Anthony Davis and Alicia Davis, No. 3d14-2703, Issued January 7, 2015 can be read in its full entirety here.
- Plaintiffs sought punitive damages (rather they planned too) and requested the financial information of defendant insurance company but they ultimately lost their request for that information, but why?
- Plaintiffs did not plead for punitive damages and did not properly state a claim for them.
- So punitive damages are not the same as other damages and have special parameters but what are they? Palm Beach Probate Attorneys know that punitive damages can be a complicated matter that pays big in the long run.