What are the consequences of an award of punitive damages?

Ontario, Canada


The following excerpt is from Filice v. Complex Services Inc., 2018 ONCA 625 (CanLII):

I now turn to the trial judge’s award of punitive damages. An appellate court has a much broader scope for review on an appeal from an award of punitive damages. As Cory J. said in Hill v. Church of Scientology of Toronto, 1995 CanLII 59 (SCC), [1995] 2 S.C.R. 1130 at para. 197: Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages are not at large. Consequently, courts have a much greater scope and discretion on appeal. The appellate review should be based upon the court's estimation as to whether the punitive damages serve a rational purpose. In other words, was the misconduct of the defendant so outrageous that punitive damages were rationally required to act as deterrence?

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