Which damages are intended to punish wrongdoing regardless of the plaintiff's actual loss?

• A. Liquidated damages
• B. Extracontractual damages
• C. Punitive damages (exemplary damages)
• D. Injunction

Answer: (C)

Punitive damages are meant to punish the wrongdoer and deter others from similar conduct, independent of the plaintiff’s actual losses. They come into play when the defendant’s behavior is particularly egregious—intentional wrongdoing, malice, oppression, or gross negligence—so the court imposes a penalty beyond compensating the plaintiff for measured harm. This differs from mere compensatory damages, which aim to make the plaintiff whole by covering actual losses. Liquidated damages are pre-set in a contract to estimate potential harm and focus on compensation rather than punishment; injunctive relief is a court order to do or stop doing something, not a monetary award; extracontractual damages refer to damages outside a contract and are typically tied to compensating harm, not punishing the offender. Therefore, the option describing punishment regardless of actual loss best matches punitive damages (exemplary damages).