Quote:
Originally posted by leagleaze
How do people pick the amount of money they sue for in these cases? This is something I have always wondered.
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In California, you're not allowed to put any damages figure in a complaint for personal injury or wrongful death. Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 425.10(b). Additionally, no complaint seeking punitive damages may allege an amount of punitive damages sought, on pain of a special motion to strike. Cal. Civ. Code § 3295(e). I guess someone in the Legislature figured out that complaints were starting to read too much like press releases.
In every high-profile filing that has drawn press interest, I've always been asked, "How much are you suing for?" Even by smart courthouse veterans who've been around the block and know it don't mean shit. A high demand figure is the only way they can pitch newsworthiness to their editors. I tend to be coy in answering the question, but the reporter wants you to make some shit up so he hasn't wasted his time talking to you. Something that ends in "millions."
The answer to your question, Leagl, is "Whatever makes only half of the people in the conference room laugh." The rest is up to voir dire.
