Back To: Legal Disputes: Civil and Criminal Law

What are Treble Damages?

Treble damage is a financial or monetary compensation which is awarded by a court to a victorious plaintiff that are thrice the value of damages originally dealt. It also refers to three times the value of compensatory damages. These compensations are awarded on some occasions depending on the agreement or statute that was violated.

How are Treble Damages Used?

These compensations are mostly applied to civil cases which takes place in civil courts. Treble damages can be awarded after a party is found guilty of copyright infringement, patent infringement, intentional counterfeiting (both goods and national currencies), and other violations related to intellectual property. In some cases, plaintiffs are allowed treble damages if demanded, or if the defendant wishes to harm them, as opposed to the original standard of compliance by statute (i.e., fixed to some cases). This concept is generally aimed at deterring others from committing similar crimes and has no backing behind it. A court can also choose to include financial awards to compensatory damages in a civil case. These financial awards are known as general damages. In this case, the plaintiff is usually the requester, but the court is not required to honour the request. They may choose to honour the request, but General damages have been shown to be a hassle to obtain. Courts can also choose to punish perpetrators beyond what is due by inputting extra charges on them. These punishments are termed punitive damages and are mostly done at the discretion of the court. The plaintiff cannot request for such compensation, as it is only awarded in special situations; especially those involving a threat to life.