Reconciling Punitive Damages with Tort Law's Normative Framework

As punitive damages have gained greater visibility in Supreme Court jurisprudence, the need for principles explaining punitive damages and guiding their application has grown. Corrective justice would seem suited to providing guidance in this arena of tort law, but unfortunately it has never satisfactorily accounted for punitive damages. This Note seeks to answer that deficiency with what the Note calls tort law's moral accounting interest. This interest reconciles punitive damages with corrective justice within a unified theory of accountability in tort law. The Note shows how this unified theory adds practical value to the explanation and application of punitive damages.