Judge Eduardo Robreno recently ruled that punitive damages were available to seamen in the consolidated asbestos products liability multidistrict litigation pending in the Eastern District or Pennsylvania.  After discussing the history of punitive damages and maritime law, Judge Robreno reasoned (with internal citations omitted, and emphasis added): Having concluded that maritime law does not impose a general bar on punitive damages in unseaworthiness claims, the Court turns to the question of whether punitive damages are appropriate when such claims arise in the context of asbestos cases.  This issue underpins the availability of punitive damages and necessarily must be addressed in this context. Although various rationales have historically been used to justify punitive damage awards, the consensus today is that punitive damages are not intended to compensate the plaintiff for a loss suffered, but instead are “imposed for purposes of retribution and deterrence.”  Courts also generally limit punitive damages to casesRead more