Suing for Punitive Damages in Sunrise

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Litigation Lawyers in Sunrise

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

This basic principle is subject to an significant exception, however. There are cases where a judge in Sunrise, Florida will order a defendant to pay the plaintiff a sum of money which is not calculated based on actual harm the plaintiff has suffered. These are called "punitive damages" and serve the purpose of punishing and deterring wrongdoing.

Courts in Sunrise, Florida do not authorize punitive damages in most cases. The civil litigation system is geared against authorizing financial windfalls to civil plaintiffs. But, there are rare cases, where the defendant has done something to the plaintiff that is so morally reprehensible, that society's interest in punishing the defendant and deterring comparable misconduct outweighs the civil justice system's preference against punitive damages.

Conduct that can give rise to punitive damages in Sunrise, Florida

Generally personal injury cases in Sunrise, Florida do not involve punitive damages, because the defendant did not intend to cause harm, or act with some other form of malice. Rather, 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 Sunrise, Florida.

In Sunrise, Florida, punitive damages are only awarded in extreme situations. 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 Sunrise, Florida will consider many different factors. Normally, 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.

There are limits on punitive damages in Sunrise, Florida. 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.

Punitive damages in Sunrise, Florida normally cannot surpass 10 times the amount of actual damages suffered by the plaintiff. Nonetheless, this is just a guideline, and not a strict rule. Courts in Florida have found larger punitive damage awards to be perfectly valid, and smaller ones to be invalid. This will be strongly dependent on the facts of each case.

How Can a Sunrise, Florida Attorney Help?

The law of Sunrise, Florida doesn't lay out many strict conditions which are necessary before punitive damages can be authorized. Instead, it largely leaves it to the discretion of the courts. So, there are various situations where they might be awarded.

If you have been harmed in Sunrise, Florida and you think punitive damages might be justified, a large amount of money might be at stake. For that reason, you should not delay to consult a civil litigation attorney in Sunrise, Florida.

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Life in Sunrise

An interesting fact about Sunrise, Florida was that in September of 2010, Google Maps was unable to locate it! People searching for Sunrise were redirected to Sarasota, Florida. Apparently this was the third time in history that Sunrise was "lost on the Internet."

Today, there are no issues in finding Sunrise. Sunrise is located in Florida's Broward County.

Sunrise is known for its festivals and events! Every year tourists come to the Earth Day Festival, the Harvest Festival and the Cultural Festival. Obviously, Sunrise is an unified, cultured community.

Some well-known corporations have offices in Sunrise. These corporations include Sawgrass Mills, Sawgrass International Corporate Park, and IKEA.

Sunrise is also home to many law firms that train attorneys to provide excellent legal services, with a personalized touch.

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