Definition of sort for Students. 1  1 : a group of persons or things that have something in common : kind all sorts of people. 2  2 : person 1, individual He was not a bad sort. 3  3 : general disposition : nature people of an evil sort.
Punitive Damages Definition: Special and highly exceptional damages ordered by a court against a defendant where the act or omission which caused the suit, was of a particularly heinous, malicious or highhanded nature.
Proponents believe that the most important function that punitive damages serve is that of deterrence. As in Criminal Law, the predominant purpose of punitive damages is to prevent similar misconduct in the future.