Posted On: March 20, 2008, 4:14 pm CDT

Posted By: Bob

If indeed Punitive and bad faith "damages" are awarded as a means to punish or deter the wrongdoers rather than to compensate the victims for special and general damages, these amounts should be used to benefit society as a whole and not given to the individual bringing the suit (and of course their legal council). By taking the profit motive out of these damages it would eliminate some of the "bullying" and "intimidation" tactics lawyers use to gain large settlements. After all police officers do not get a portion of the fines they collect (not the honest ones anyway). The fines are meant to be punitive to the wrongdoer to deter anti-social or irresponsible behavior and then are turned over to the appropriate public safety offices.