punitive damages

The topic that I wanted to learn more about in this section is punitive damages. I have seen in the news recently about cases where the plaintiff has been awarded millions of dollars. I wanted to know how the plaintiff would be eligible for the right of punitive damages and some of the history behind the ruling. I also wanted to learn about the some of the largest settlements in history as well.
Six percent of winning plaintiffs in civil jury trials walk away with punitive damage awards, according to recent U.S. Department of Justice statistics. Some multi-million dollar punitive damage verdicts soar to over 500 times the amount of jury-awarded compensatory damages. Punitive damages are subject to award in nearly all states. In most states, punitive damages are also insurable. Across the country it appears that punitive damages have increased dramatically in frequency and amount when submitted to the jury for consideration. In part, this trend may be attributable to the fact ...