Who's Afraid of Punitive Damages?: A Turning Point for Punitive Damages? / Zeitenwende Beim Strafschadensersatz? Volume I

In 1992, the German Bundesgerichtshof held that it was 'manifestly incompatible with essential principles of German law to enforce lump-sum punitive damages of a not inconsiderable amount in Germany.' Whereas German courts have maintained this outright rejection of foreign punitive damages awards, many other jurisdictions have developed a more nuanced approach in recent years. Against this background, the contributors to this volume discuss the reasons for the general hostility to punitive damages in civil law jurisdictions, their evolution in US law, and recent developments in international law before looking more closely at six countries to answer the question: 'Who is (Still) Afraid of Punitive Damages?'.