Punitive damages are private law’s most controversial remedy. This book traces the development of the jurisdiction from the foundational decisions of Huckle v Money and Wilkes v Wood in England, to leading modern cases such as Harris v Digital Pulse Pty Ltd in Australia, Whiten v Pilot Insurance Co in Canada, Couch v AG (No 2) in New Zealand, PH Hydraulics and Engineering Pte Ltd v Airtrust (Hong Kong) Ltd in Singapore and Mathias v Accor Economy Lodging, Inc and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co v Campbell in the United States. Many of the decisions addressed are not only landmarks regarding punitive damages but are among the most important judgments delivered in private law more generally.

The essays, which are written by leading scholars from a wide range of jurisdictions, cast new light on the cases covered. They do so by examining their historical antecedents and the impact that they have had on the development of the law. The full spectrum of issues regarding punitive damages is addressed including the insurability of punishment, constitutional constraints on the remedy’s availability and whether the award should be confined to particular causes of action. The collection will be of interest to all scholars and students of private law. It concentrates on common law cases although civilian perspectives, drawn from France and Germany, are also offered.

Les mer

1. Huckle v Money (1763): Exemplary Damages and Liberty of the Subject
TT Arvind (University of York, UK) and Jenny Steele (University of York, UK)

2. Wilkes v Wood (1763): General Warrants and Punitive Damages
David Ibbetson (University of Cambridge, UK)

3. Bell v Midland Railway Co (1861): The Curious Case of Disputing Directors
Emily Gordon (University College London, UK)

4. Rookes v Barnard (1964): 'Going off the Lines'
Iain Field (University of Queensland, Australia)

5. Cassell & Co Ltd v Broome (1972): Maritime, Generational and Judicial Clashes
James Goudkamp (University of Oxford, UK)

6. Lamb v Cotogno (1987): Insured Punishment
Kit Barker (University of Queensland, Australia)

7. German Federal Court of Justice, Judgment of 4 June 1992, Case IX ZR 149/91 (BGHZ 118, 312): German Law’s Dilemma with Punitive Damages
Johannes Ungerer (University of Oxford, UK)

8. John v MGN Ltd (1995): Enclosing the Jury Paddock?
Mark Lunney (King’s College London, UK)

9. Gray v Motor Accident Commission (1998): Does the Criminal Punishment of the Defendant Bar Exemplary Damages? Questions Answered and Unanswered
Felicity Maher (University of Western Australia, Australia)

10. Kuddus v Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary (2001): A Milestone in the Expansion of Punitive Damages
Eleni Katsampouka (King's College London, UK)

11. Whiten v Pilot Insurance Co (2002): How Can Something So Wrong Feel So Right?
Zoë Sinel (University of Western Ontario, Canada)

12. Harris v Digital Pulse Pty Ltd (2003): Equity, Penalties, Controversy and Costs
Mark Leeming (University of Sydney, Australia)

13. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co v Campbell (2003): The Misguided Legacy of Proportionality
Catherine M Sharkey (New York University, USA)

14. Mathias v Accor Economy Lodging, Inc (2003): Judge Richard A Posner’s Message and Method on Punitive Damages
Ellen M Bublick (University of Arizona, USA)

15. Couch v Attorney-General (No 2) (2010): The Susan Couch Litigation
Stephen Todd (University of Canterbury, UK)

15. Schlenzka & Langhorne v Fountaine Pajot (2010): The Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Punitive Damages Awards in France
Solène Rowan (King’s College London, UK)

17. PH Hydraulics & Engineering Pte Ltd v Airtrust (Hong Kong) Ltd (2017): Orthodoxy Rules
Pey Woan Lee (Singapore Management University, Singapore)

Les mer
An examination of leading cases in the law of punitive damages, selected from a range of jurisdictions decided over 300 years.
Punitive damages are the law’s most controversial remedy, i.e., they excite a lot of discussion/analysis/interest

Original analysis by eminent scholars that examine the most important legal cases to date.
The Landmark Cases series is an occasional series of volumes which seek to highlight the historical antecedents of what are widely considered to be the leading cases in the common law. These edited volumes feature original archival research by eminent scholars in the field, and are intended to provide a context, or contexts, in which to better understand how and why certain cases came to be regarded as the 'Landmark' cases in any given field.

Praise for the series
“An interesting read and a valuable addition to the reference literature for [those] who wish to view from a fresh angle the classic textbook cases that they thought they knew very well.”
Review of Landmark Cases in Criminal Law in New Journal of European Criminal Law

“Beautifully written, nicely produced and just full of intrinsically fascinating material.”
Review of Landmark Cases in Family Law in The Law and Politics Book Review

“An intriguing pleasure to read.”
Review of Landmark Cases in the Law of Contract in Journal of Legal History

“A fine example of the kind of historical investigation that should be the foundation of all common law scholarship.”
Review of Landmark Cases in the Law of Restitution in King's Law Journal

Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781509967049
Publisert
2025-06-26
Utgiver
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Vekt
620 gr
Høyde
232 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Dybde
24 mm
Aldersnivå
P, U, 06, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
408

Biografisk notat

James Goudkamp is Professor of the Law of Obligations at the University of Oxford, UK.
Eleni Katsampouka is Lecturer in Law at King's College London, UK.