Suing for Punitive Damages in Lakewood

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Litigation Lawyers in Lakewood

In Lakewood, Colorado, the civil litigation system is primarily concerned with compensating the victims of wrongdoing, rather than punishing the wrongdoers, or casting moral blame upon them.

There is a major exception to this rule, however. In limited cases, courts in Lakewood, Colorado will order a defendant to pay the plaintiff damages which are not directly tied to any harm suffered by the plaintiff. Rather, these damages, which are known as "punitive damages", are meant to punish the wrongdoer, and serve as a deterrent.

You should be aware that courts in Lakewood, Colorado are not particularly fond of granting punitive damages, because they view it as a financial windfall that generally runs counter to civil litigation's primary purpose of compensating victims of wrongdoing for the harm they've suffered. However, if the conduct of the defendant was completely reprehensible and the harm caused was deliberate, a court might impose damages to punish the defendant, known as "punitive damages."

Conduct that can give rise to punitive damages in Lakewood, Colorado

Typically personal injury cases in Lakewood, Colorado involve injuries that the defendant did not intend to cause, but was still at fault in causing them (through negligence, for example). In Lakewood, Colorado, this is not enough to justify the award of punitive damages.

Punitive Damages in Lakewood, Colorado are only awarded in cases where the behavior of the plaintiff was intentional and highly immoral, or extremely reckless. In Lakewood, Colorado, torts such as fraud, gross negligence, and theft are sufficient to award punitive damages. Courts consider numerous factors when deciding whether or not punitive damages are warranted. Courts will look at the nature of the act, as well as the defendant's intent in performing the act. This will be weighed, on a sliding scale, against the actual harm that the defendant's conduct caused to the plaintiff.

There are limits on punitive damages in Lakewood, Colorado. The Supreme Court has held that punitive damage awards which are grossly disproportionate to the immorality of the conduct, and the harm that it caused, are an unconstitutional deprivation of property without due process of law.

A good rule of thumb for calculating the upper limit of punitive damages in Lakewood, Colorado is that punitive damages can be no larger than compensatory damages times ten. This rule is not absolute, of course. Courts in Colorado have a good deal of discretion in awarding punitive damages, and will determine them based on the facts of each case. Because of this, punitive damage awards larger than 10 times compensatory damages are sometimes upheld, while much smaller awards have been overturned, because they were deemed excessive in a particular case.

How Can a Lakewood, Colorado Attorney Help?

In Lakewood, Colorado, judges and juries have a good deal of leeway in deciding if they want to grant punitive damages, so there are a nearly-unlimited number of cases that can lead to a punitive damage award.

If you live in Lakewood, Colorado and are engaged in a case that you believe carries the possibility of a punitive damage award, you may be entitled to a large amount of money from the person or company that hurt you. To know for sure, you should speak with a civil litigation attorney in Lakewood, Colorado.

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Life in Lakewood

Lakewood, Colorado is the most populous city in Jefferson County, Colorado. It has a population of about 142,000 people, making it the fourth most populous city in the state of Colorado.

Lakewood is home to several historical landmarks that give the city some of its local character, including the Old Lakewood School complex, which was built in the 1920s.

Lakewood is also home to the Denver Federal Center, which is the largest concentration of federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C. This makes the federal government one of the largest employers in Lakewood, Colorado.

These federal agencies employ a large number of people with legal training, especially Lakewood, Colorado lawyers.

However, the vast majority of Lakewood, Colorado attorneys work in private practice. This means that if you need legal services, it's very likely that there's a Lakewood, Colorado lawyer who can help.

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