Treble damages are a legal remedy where, in certain cases, the court is required to award the plaintiff three times the amount of actual damages determined by the jury. This remedy is often specified in statutes and is typically awarded in cases where the defendant’s actions are deemed particularly egregious. Treble damages serve as a deterrent to wrongful conduct and aim to compensate the plaintiff for losses that may be challenging to quantify. See Cohen v. De La Cruz, 523 U.S. 213 (1998).
[Last updated in June of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]