Which type of damages requires the loss to be proven but does not require the dollar value to be proved?

General compensatory damages relate to losses that are not readily quantifiable in monetary terms, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, or loss of enjoyment of life. These damages are awarded to compensate the injured party for the subjective experience and impacts of their injury, which can be difficult to assign a precise dollar value.

In these cases, while the existence of loss needs to be demonstrated, providing an exact figure may not be feasible or necessary. This distinguishes general compensatory damages from special compensatory damages, which do require specific monetary evidence for losses that are tangible, such as medical expenses or lost wages.

Additionally, punitive damages are intended to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct in the future, rather than compensate the injured party for their loss. Nominal damages represent a small sum awarded when a legal wrong has occurred but did not result in a substantial loss. Therefore, general compensatory damages are specifically designed to cover those intangible losses where the dollar amount is not a requirement for recovery, making them the correct choice in this context.