When you have been injured by another’s careless or reckless acts, your primary concern is likely to be obtaining the maximum amount of compensation as possible from the at-fault individual. These compensatory damages are meant to shift the burden your injuries have caused you – medical bills, time missed from work, pain and suffering, and other “costs” – to the at-fault party. Compensatory damages must be proven, and you are not entitled to compensatory damages that exceed the past and future losses you will experience as a result of the injury accident and the at-fault party’s carelessness.
Defining Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are different. Instead of compensating you for your losses, punitive damages are designed to punish the at-fault party for his or her actions. When punitive damages are awarded, the purpose is usually twofold. First, punitive damages act to punish the at-fault party for engaging in actions that are deliberate, intentional, and/or grossly negligent. Second, punitive damages are designed to dissuade the at-fault party and others from engaging in similar behavior in the future.
Personal injury victims in North Dakota should also know that punitive damages:
Does it Pay to Seek Punitive Damages?
There are some situations in which obtaining “full and fair” compensation involves making the at-fault party pay some penalty for engaging in behavior that goes beyond simple careless or reckless acts. Tim O’Keeffe and Tatum O’Brien of O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Foss, your North Dakota personal injury law firm, are here to help you determine whether punitive damages are available in your case. If your case involves an at-fault party who acted intentionally, your North Dakota personal injury lawyers are prepared to seek punitive and compensatory damages on your behalf.
Contact O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Foss today by calling (701) 235-8000 or (877) 235-8002 and learn about the compensation to which you or your loved one may be entitled.