Damages

Economic damages cover measurable financial losses with documented dollar amounts. They include medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, property damage, and out-of-pocket costs. Because they can be proven with receipts, records, and expert calculations, they're usually less disputed than non-economic damages.

Non-economic damages cover losses that don't come with a receipt — physical pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, loss of consortium. These require judgment rather than arithmetic and tend to be where insurers and injured parties disagree most.

Punitive damages are a separate category meant to punish rather than compensate. They're rare and require conduct beyond ordinary negligence — usually intentional, malicious, or grossly reckless behavior. Punitive damages are often subject to state law caps and to constitutional limits based on the ratio to compensatory damages.

Compensatory damages (economic + non-economic) are meant to restore the injured person. Punitive damages are meant to send a message to the defendant and others. Most injury cases involve only compensatory damages.