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Jurisdictions employ one of three standards of proof in decisions concerning punitive damages: (1) beyond a reasonable doubt, (2) by clear and convincing evidence, and (3) by a preponderance of evidence.
If juries award greater compensatory damages than do judges for any given case type, then that higher award will boost punitive damages as well. This analysis indicates that juries generate higher compensatory damages as well as higher punitive damages controlling for compensatory damages.
To determine the amount of punitive damages to award, the Book of Approved Jury Instructions (BAJI) states that the jury should consider: (1) The reprehensibility of the conduct of the defendant.The other twodefendant's financial condition and the relationship to actual damagesare objective measurements.
Individuals can also be ordered to pay punitive damages that injure someone else due to negligent behavior. Examples of this would be drunk driving or distracted driving. In both cases, the defendant would have made a conscious decision to engage in behavior that could easily harm another person.
Punitive damages are legal recompense that a defendant found guilty of committing a wrong or offense is ordered to pay on top of compensatory damages. They are awarded by a court of law not to compensate injured plaintiffs but to punish defendants whose conduct is considered grossly negligent or intentional.
These three "guideposts" include (1) the degree of reprehensibility of the defendants conduct; (2) the reasonableness of the ratio between punitive damages awarded and the actual harm inflicted; and (3) the degree of comparability between the punitive damages awarded and authorized civil and criminal penalties.
Judges may reduce punitive damage awards when it looks like juries have not followed instructions.
According to this theory, the jurors use the amount of compensation that the plaintiff is seeking as a starting point during deliberations. For example, if a plaintiff is seeking $500,000 in damages, the jury may begin deliberations by discussing whether they should award the full $500,000.
While mandated percentage "limits" on a punitive damage award have drawn criticism, awards in excess of these limits have also drawn objection. Again, using California as an example, courts have generally found punitive damages greater than 15 percent of a defendant's net worth to be excessive.