{"id":2719,"date":"2024-11-24T10:16:17","date_gmt":"2024-11-24T15:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.millerandzois.com\/bangeura-v-taylor-analysis\/"},"modified":"2025-05-21T14:24:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T18:24:29","slug":"maryland-punitive-damages","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.millerandzois.com\/professional-attorney-information-center\/maryland-law-update\/maryland-punitive-damages\/","title":{"rendered":"Punitive Damages Law in Maryland"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Punitive damages, also known as exemplary damages, are a type of monetary compensation awarded in civil lawsuits. Unlike compensatory damages, which are intended to make the plaintiff whole by covering actual losses and injuries, punitive damages are designed to punish the defendant for particularly egregious or malicious conduct and to deter similar conduct in the future. Maryland law makes punitive damages difficult so you do not see punitive damages in Maryland with the frequency you see in other jurisdictions.<\/p>\n<h2>The Legal Standard for Punitive Damages in Maryland<\/h2>\n<p>Maryland law sets a high bar &#8211; too high a bar &#8211; for awarding punitive damages. To succeed in a claim for punitive damages, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant\u2019s conduct was characterized by &#8220;actual malice.&#8221; This means that the plaintiff must prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that the defendant acted with evil intent, ill will, or a deliberate intent to harm. Negligence or even gross negligence is not sufficient to justify punitive damages in Maryland; there must be a showing of intentional wrongdoing or reckless disregard for the rights of others.<\/p>\n<div class=\"read_more_link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.millerandzois.com\/professional-attorney-information-center\/maryland-law-update\/maryland-punitive-damages\/\"  title=\"Continue Reading Punitive Damages Law in Maryland\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Punitive damages, also known as exemplary damages, are a type of monetary compensation awarded in civil lawsuits. Unlike compensatory damages, which are intended to make the plaintiff whole by covering actual losses and injuries, punitive damages are designed to punish the defendant for particularly egregious or malicious conduct and to deter similar conduct in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":2708,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2719","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Punitive Damages in Maryland | How Maryland Law Works<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you can bring punitive damages claims under Maryland restrictive punitive damages law requiring actual malice to bring a claim.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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