When Should You Instruct A Personal Injury Attorney To Sue For Punitive Damages?

Do you want to sue for damages for physical, emotional, or financial harm occasioned by someone else's negligence? You could go further and sue for punitive damages too. Punitive damages are awarded to punish the at-fault party and act as a deterrent against similar future acts of negligence. Here are instances when you can seek help from a personal injury attorney to sue for punitive damages. 

1. Reckless Behavior

If the responsible party acted recklessly or with the intent to cause harm, then you can sue for punitive damages. Examples of reckless behavior include driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, excessive speeding, and engaging in road rage activities such as tailgating or aggressively cutting off other drivers.

2. Intentional Torts

Intentional torts involve intentional conduct on the part of the defendant that leads to injury or damage to another person's property. Examples include assault, battery, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy, and fraud.

In some cases, courts may award punitive damages if they feel that the defendant acted with malice or disregard for another person's safety or rights.

3. Fraudulent Activity

Fraud is defined as an intentional deception made to cause financial loss or harm to another person or entity. If the defendant knowingly lied about something materially related to your case and caused you harm as a result, your personal injury attorney can ask the courts to order them to pay punitive damages in addition to any compensation owed due to your injuries.

4. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress

In rare cases where it can be proven that one party intentionally caused severe emotional distress in another by engaging in extreme and outrageous behavior, such as making death threats, the court may award punitive damages in addition to any other compensation owed due to harm sustained as a result of the traumatic experience(s).

5. Violations of Statutory Rights

If federal statutes were violated during your case (e.g., discrimination laws), then courts may order punitive damages in addition to any other compensation owed due to your injuries or losses related to this violation.

In conclusion, you can go beyond the usual criminal and civil cases to seek redress when you've been wronged. You can use punitive damages to punish negligent parties who have caused serious harm through their irresponsible or reckless behavior and serve as a deterrent against similar future acts of negligence by others. Consult a personal injury attorney, such as the Law Office of Robert Karwin, to help you determine whether or not suing for punitive damages is an appropriate course of action in your case.