Suing for Punitive Damages in Union City

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Litigation Lawyers in Union City

In Union City, California, 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 Union City, California 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.

It's critical to note that courts in Union City, California prefer not to grant punitive damages. This is because the civil justice system is designed primarily to compensate the victims of wrongdoing. However, there are some cases where the defendant's conduct was so immoral and evil that civil courts have an interest in making them pay additional damages, going above and beyond what's needed to compensate the victim, in order to serve as a deterrent.

Conduct that can give rise to punitive damages in Union City, California

Typically personal injury cases in Union City, California do not involve punitive damages, because the defendant did not intend to cause harm, or act with some other form of malice. Alternatively, most of these cases involve situations where the defendant acted carelessly, but did not actually intend to cause harm. This is enough to award compensatory damages, but it is far from sufficient to award punitive damages in Union City, California.

In Union City, California, punitive damages are only awarded in extreme cases. Civil wrongs such as fraud, conversion (theft), battery, and other intentional, depraved acts are sufficient to award punitive damages. In deciding whether or not to award punitive damages, and how much money to award, courts in Union City, California will consider many different factors. Typically, they employ a sliding scale, weighing the nature of the conduct and the actual harm that the conduct caused. The more immoral the conduct, and/or the more harm caused, the more likely a court is to award punitive damages.

You should be aware of the fact that there are some pretty severe limits on punitive damages in Union City, California. The U.S. Supreme Court has found that there are constitutional limits on punitive damage awards. Punitive damages can't be too disproportionate to the actual damages that the plaintiff has suffered. Appeals courts have found that excessive punitive damage awards violate the defendant's right to due process, by depriving them of considerable amounts of property.

A good rule of thumb for calculating the upper limit of punitive damages in Union City, California is that punitive damages can be no larger than compensatory damages times ten. This rule is not absolute, of course. Courts in California 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 Union City, California Attorney Help?

In Union City, California, there are an essentially unlimited number of situtations in which punitive damages can be awarded.

If you have been hurt in Union City, California and you think punitive damages might be justified, a large amount of money might be at stake. For that reason, you should not hesitate to consult a civil litigation attorney in Union City, California.

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Life in Union City

Union City, California is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco, Bay Area. It is a short drive from Silicon Valley. Surrounding cities include Fremont, Hayward, and Newark. Union City is home to approximately 69,516 people, and caters to a very diverse population.

Top employers in Union City include Wal-Mart, Dreyer's, Masonic Homes, Caravan Trading Company, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the school district. Many residents also make the commute and work in the tech companies of Silicon Valley.

Being so close to Silicon Valley and San Francisco, Union City residents enjoy the best of both worlds when it comes to legal services. Many small, mid-size, and large multinational law firms have location in Silicon Valley, catering to the small start-ups, and mid to large corporations. San Francisco has large law firms, as well as small to mid-size firms that believe in personalized legal services. Either way, Union City residents have access to a competent legal force that can handle issues in all areas of law.

Popular attractions in Union City include the San Francisco Bay Area Flight 93 Memorial in Sugar Mill Landing Park. This is the first monument devoted to honoring the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, which was bound for San Francisco but was hijacked and crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Other popular attractions include the Eden Landing Ecological Reserve and the Masonic Homes.

All in all, Union City is a wonderful place to visit and live in!

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