In a civil lawsuit, what types of damages can be assessed?

In a civil lawsuit, damages refer to the monetary compensation awarded to a party for loss or injury. The types of damages that can be assessed are categorized into different types based on their purpose. Compensatory and punitive damages are two primary categories recognized in civil law.

Compensatory damages are intended to compensate the plaintiff for actual losses suffered as a result of the defendant's actions. This includes both economic losses, such as medical bills and lost wages, and non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering. They aim to restore the injured party to the position they would have been in had the wrongful conduct not occurred.

Punitive damages, on the other hand, are intended to punish the defendant for particularly egregious or malicious behavior and to deter others from engaging in similar conduct. These damages are not tied to the actual loss suffered by the plaintiff but are rather a means of imposing a penalty for severe wrongdoing.

The other options do not correctly capture the comprehensive categories of damages typically assessed in civil lawsuits. Emotional damages can be part of compensatory damages but are not a standalone category. Actual and speculative damages refer to different aspects of potential losses and are not recognized as distinct types of damages. General and consequential damages relate more to specific circumstances of the loss rather