Punitive Damages Flashcards
What type of law are punitive damages available in?
Common Law and Statutory Law
What are the goals of punitive damages?
Punish the defendant and deter future potential defendants.
Are punitive damages about the plaintiff’s rightful position?
No, because it does not fairly compensate the plaintiff.
What type of conduct makes punitive damages available? And some examples?
Culpable conduct
Like:
Gross negligence
Malice
Reckless Disregard
(A conduct that needs deterring).
What type of conduct must be present in Arkansas to get punitive damages?
Knowingly doing something and then doing it with malice or reckless disregard.
Does every state allow punitive damages?
Some states bar punitive damages, and some states limit them.
Who determines when conduct is culpable enough for punitive damages?
Juries decide is the culpability of the conduct is high enough for punitive damages, and they choose how much should be used to punish.
Why are punitive damages controversial?
For the most part punitive damages are made up, in the same way noneconomic damages are.
How does the Supreme Court tell us to use punitive damages?
Supreme Court says punitive damages should show restraint, so they should use ratios to try and not remain unpredictable.
Can a jury know how much money a defendant has?
Punitive damages allow for juries to know how much money the defendant has, but in no other instance is this okay.
In Arkansas, what kind of damages must be present for punitive damages to be added on?
You must have compensatory damages to have punitive damages, having merely nominal damages is not enough.
Where do damage caps exist for punitive damages?
Contract Law
Constitutional Limit on Punitive Damages: What is Substantive Due Process?
Where the award is so large it simply is not justified by the state’s interest in punishment.
Constitutional Limit on Punitive Damages: Procedural Due Process? (Appellate)
Is there sufficient appellate review of the punitive damages to ensure they were fair?
Hell no, very little review.
Constitutional Limit on Punitive Damages: Substantive Due Process: What are the 3 guideposts (to nowhere)?
1) Level of Reprehensibility
2) “Reasonable Relationship” between compensatory damages and punitive damages
3) Criminal or Civil Penalties for comparable conduct