when will a court allow a cause of action for punitive damages be considered against a defendant
Punitive damages Punitive damages are often awarded if compensatory damages are deemed an inadequate remedy. The court may impose them to prevent undercompensation of plaintiffs and to allow redress for undetectable torts and taking some strain away from the criminal justice system.[1] Punitive damages are most important for violations of the law that are hard to detect.[2]
Public defender (United States) In US civil cases (e.g., personal injury or a landlord-tenant dispute), public defenders may be appointed in civil cases that are quasi-criminal in nature (e.g., removal of children from parents and civil commitments for alleged sexually violent predators)[29] or in highly unusual situations where the civil proceedings may be highly connected to criminal proceedings;[30] otherwise indigent litigants are referred to a legal aid office.