Litigation Lawyers in Fairbanks

In Fairbanks, Alaska, the civil litigation system is mainly concerned with compensating the victims of wrongdoing, rather than punishing the wrongdoers, or casting moral blame upon them.

Nonetheless, this general principle has a major exception. In rare cases, a Fairbanks, Alaska judge or jury can award damages to the plaintiff that are not calculated by the actual losses sustained. Instead, they serve the purpose of punishing the defendant, and deterring others from wrongdoing. These are called "punitive damages."


Conduct that can give rise to punitive damages in Fairbanks, Alaska

The vast majority of personal injury lawsuits in Fairbanks, Alaska involve situations in which the defendant did not intend to harm the plaintiff, but did so through carelessness. This is not enough to award punitive damages in Fairbanks, Alaska.



A good rule of thumb for calculating the upper limit of punitive damages in Fairbanks, Alaska is that punitive damages can be no larger than compensatory damages times ten. This rule is not absolute, of course. Courts in Alaska have a good deal of discretion in awarding punitive damages, and will decide them based on the facts of each case. Because of this, punitive damage awards larger than 10 times compensatory damages are occasionally upheld, while much smaller awards have been overturned, because they were deemed excessive in a certain case.

How Can a Fairbanks, Alaska Attorney Help?


If you are involved in a case in Fairbanks, Alaska where punitive damages are a possibility, a very large amount of money could be at stake, whether you are the plaintiff or defendant. You should not delay to speak with a civil litigation attorney in Fairbanks, Alaska