text: should financial damages be awarded at libel trials? if someone sues someone for libel and wins, do they really deserve finanical damages too? of course they do.  that's the point to make the person who did harm pay for the harm they did. it is also to discourage others from doing the same nasty stuff. usually you have to prove you had 'real' losses in order to prevail so that means you have lost money in some way and have damages. yes they should have to pay all your damages and treble if that is an option.