treble damages

Treble damages are a legal remedy where, in certain cases, the court is required to award the plaintiff three times the amount of actual damages determined by the jury . This remedy is often specified in statutes and is typically awarded in cases where the defendant ’s actions are deemed particularly egregious . Treble damages serve as a deterrent to wrongful conduct and aim to compensate the plaintiff for losses that may be challenging to quantify. See Cohen v. De La Cruz , 523 U.S. 213 (1998) .

[Last reviewed in June of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team ]

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