On Mon, 5 Mar 2007 15:56:11 -0700, Gig 601XL Builder wrote
(in article ):

Ash Wyllie wrote:


Better to just ban punitive damages.



I disagree. There is a place for punitive damages. Let's take an manufacture
as an example. Company A finds a design flaw. They do the math and decide
that it would be cheaper to pay out X number of damage awards in the future
than to recall the items and fix them. This is a case where punitive damages
should be levied.

Why? If actual damages are paid for then the company has behaved responsibly.
In fact, all warranties are based on the idea that it is cheaper to fix a few
flawed items than to prevent any flawed item from leaving the loading dock. A
warranty is nothing more than an insurance policy that the buyer is forced to
pay for.

I see no reason for punitive damages if the plaintiffs are being made whole.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor