Does California Courts allow punitive damages in small claims cases? ...

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Does California Courts allow punitive damages in small claims cases?

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Punitive damages are awarded

Punitive damages are awarded in a case to punish the defendant for the defendant’s actions. A judge may award punitive damages in a small claims case in California if the defendant’s conduct is especially egregious in nature. For example, if the case involves an allegation of fraud, like writing a bad check, the judge may award up to triple the amount of the bounced check, according to California Civil Code Section 1719. However, it is generally uncommon to receive punitive damages in a small claims case. For more information about small claims court in California, see http://www.courts.ca.gov/partners/documents/smallclaimschecklist-en.pdf. In addition, for  details about the small claims process, read http://www.freelegalaid.com/nav/california/general-legal-resources/article/how-file-small-claim-san-francisco-county.

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Punitive damages are awarded

Punitive damages are awarded in a case to punish the defendant for the defendant’s actions. A judge may award punitive damages in a small claims case in California if the defendant’s conduct is especially egregious in nature. For example, if the case involves an allegation of fraud, like writing a bad check, the judge may award up to triple the amount of the bounced check, according to California Civil Code Section 1719. However, it is generally uncommon to receive punitive damages in a small claims case. For more information about small claims court in California, see http://www.courts.ca.gov/partners/documents/smallclaimschecklist-en.pdf. In addition, for  details about the small claims process, read http://www.freelegalaid.com/nav/california/general-legal-resources/article/how-file-small-claim-san-francisco-county.