[cksharks]

People keep talking about what is not in the constitution,is their anything in the constitution about so called punitive damages. I just dont ever remember reading that anywhere.

[Poohbah]

Amendment VIII to the US Constitution:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

[CA Conservative]

The 8th Amendment prohibits excessive fines. Since punitive damages are, by definition, a form of punishment imposed on the defendant by a court (a branch of the government), this prohibition would be applicable, I would think. You might disagree, but the question is open to argument, and it appears that the majority of the USSC believes it to be a valid argument.