Which of the following is NOT typically listed as a type of special damages?

Which of the following is NOT typically listed as a type of special damages?

• A. Family services
• B. Funeral expenses
• C. Financial support
• D. Punitive damages

Answer: (D)

Special damages are the out-of-pocket, quantifiable losses a plaintiff can prove, such as medical bills, funeral costs, and the monetary value of lost financial support or household/family services. Funeral expenses are a clear example because they are actual costs you can itemize. The financial support a person would have received—like lost income or ongoing support—also fits because it’s a specific, calculable amount. The value of family services reflects the money value of help a plaintiff lost due to the injury or death, another concrete, documentable figure. Punitive damages, on the other hand, are not meant to compensate for actual losses. They’re intended to punish particularly egregious conduct and deter future wrongdoing, and they’re not categorized with the compensatory, special damages. So the item not typically listed as special damages is punitive damages.

Special damages are the out-of-pocket, quantifiable losses a plaintiff can prove, such as medical bills, funeral costs, and the monetary value of lost financial support or household/family services. Funeral expenses are a clear example because they are actual costs you can itemize. The financial support a person would have received—like lost income or ongoing support—also fits because it’s a specific, calculable amount. The value of family services reflects the money value of help a plaintiff lost due to the injury or death, another concrete, documentable figure.

Punitive damages, on the other hand, are not meant to compensate for actual losses. They’re intended to punish particularly egregious conduct and deter future wrongdoing, and they’re not categorized with the compensatory, special damages. So the item not typically listed as special damages is punitive damages.