Punitive Damages in Colombian Tort Law

Abstract

Today, Colombian tribunals are crammed with claims which seek generous indemnities for damages. Such cases often follow the French rules of repair, that consist in reestablishing the balance broken by the author of the damage between his/her personal assets and of the victim. However, this focus has been increasingly showing a change towards the incorporation of a type of damage called “Punitive damages” which comes from the Common Law System, and may possibly transform our tort law system and create new ways to understand this liability law.