History of Punitive Damages and Our Civil Justice System
Western civilization has held society members responsible for what they do and and the damage they cause for some 4,000 years. As early as the Book of Exodus, in addition to awarding damages to compensate people injured by the careless or malicious acts of others, the Bible also recognized that it was important to impose punitive-type damages to punish intentionally wrongful acts that interfered with society’s most important activities in a society that depended on agriculture and farming as its primary means for support and sustenance.
Please join me in my sixth and final short talk in a series of videos devoted to understanding the Bible as the basis for our civil justice system’s compensation of those who are hurt by the act of others, and the evolution of punitive damages to punish those who deserve it, as reflected in today’s American law.
Related posts:
Introduction to the History and Evolution of Law
History of Personal Injury Law and Our Civil Justice System
History of Civil Liability and Compensatory Damages