South Dakota Statutes

§ 21-3-2 — Punitive damages in discretion of jury.

South Dakota § 21-3-2
JurisdictionSouth Dakota
Title 21JUDICIAL REMEDIES
Ch. 21-2DAMAGES FOR TORTS

This text of South Dakota § 21-3-2 (Punitive damages in discretion of jury.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
S.D. Codified Laws § 21-3-2 (2026).

Text

In any action for the breach of an obligation not arising from contract, where the defendant has been guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice, actual or presumed, or in any case of wrongful injury to animals, being subjects of property, committed intentionally or by willful and wanton misconduct, in disregard of humanity, the jury, in addition to the actual damage, may give damages for the sake of example, and by way of punishing the defendant.

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Legislative History

CivC 1877, §§ 1946, 1974; CL 1887, §§ 4580, 4607; RCivC 1903, §§ 2292, 2319; RC 1919, §§ 1965, 1991; SDC 1939 & Supp 1960, § 37.1902.

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Bluebook (online)
South Dakota § 21-3-2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/statute/sd/21-3-2.