Damages & Compensation
What you can recover and how it is calculated: economic vs. non-economic damages, pain and suffering, lost wages, future medical costs, punitive damages, being partly at fault, damage caps, and structured settlements.
All Damages & Compensation guides
- Can You Recover If You Were Partly at Fault?
Yes, in most states — but your settlement or verdict is reduced by your percentage of fault, and some states bar recovery entirely.
- Economic vs. Non-Economic Damages: What's the Difference?
Plain-English guide to economic vs. non-economic damages in personal injury claims and how each is proven and valued.
- Recovering Lost Wages After an Injury
How to claim past and future lost income after an injury, what proof you need, and how self-employed workers document losses.
- What Is Pain and Suffering, and How Is It Calculated?
How pain and suffering damages are calculated using the multiplier and per-diem methods, what evidence helps, and how state caps vary.
- Future Medical Expenses in Injury Claims
Why serious injury claims need life-care plans, expert testimony, and present-value math before you settle for future medical costs.
- Personal Injury Damage Caps: How States Limit Compensation
Some states cap pain-and-suffering and punitive damages, mostly in medical malpractice cases. Economic losses usually aren't capped. Rules vary by state.
- What Are Punitive Damages, and When Are They Awarded?
Punitive damages punish egregious conduct, not compensate losses—learn the high legal bar, Supreme Court limits, and how state law varies.
- What Is a Structured Settlement?
Plain-English guide to structured settlements: periodic tax-free payments vs. lump sum, pros and cons, and how selling future payments works.
- Types of Damages in a Personal Injury Case
Plain-English guide to economic, non-economic, and punitive damages in a personal injury case, with proof needed for each.
- How the Pain-and-Suffering Multiplier Method Works
Learn how the multiplier method estimates pain-and-suffering damages by multiplying your medical bills and lost wages by 1.5 to 5.