What type of award is specified by the court and requires both dollar value and loss to be proved?

The court specifies special compensatory damages when it requires both a dollar value and evidence of loss to be established. These damages are designed to compensate a plaintiff for specific financial losses that are quantifiable, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and the cost of future care. In order to be awarded special compensatory damages, the plaintiff must provide clear and convincing evidence of these losses, allowing for an exact monetary calculation.

General compensatory damages, on the other hand, address non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of companionship, which are more subjective and do not require specific dollar amounts to be proven. Punitive damages serve a different purpose altogether; they are intended to punish the defendant for egregious conduct and deter similar actions in the future, rather than to compensate the plaintiff for specific losses. Exemplary damages are often synonymous with punitive damages and also focus on punishment rather than quantifiable losses.