http://www.answers.com/topic/treble-damages-2
This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.
A law that permits a court to triple the amount of damages awarded in cases where the defendant willfully acted in a prohibited way. Usually a court will require substantial evidence proving that the defendant's actions were willful in nature or done in bad faith before treble damages are awarded.
Investopedia Says:
In the corporate world treble damages often arise in regard to patent infringement, willful counterfeiting and antitrust lawsuits. Damages are calculated against the financial loss incurred by the plaintiff directly resulting from the actions of the defendant.
A recovery of three times the amount of actual financial losses suffered which is provided by statute for certain kinds of cases.
The statute authorizing treble damages directs the judge to multiply by three the amount of monetary damages awarded by the jury in those cases and to give judgment to the plaintiff in that tripled amount. The Clayton Act (15 U.S.C.A. ยง 12 et seq.), for example, directs that treble damages be awarded for violations of antitrust laws.
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