Punitive damages are the civil justice system's mechanism for punishment. They exist not to compensate the plaintiff but to penalize the defendant for conduct so egregious that a compensatory award alone is insufficient to deter it. In Georgia, that mechanism operates...
SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. A SLAPP suit is not filed to win — it is filed to silence. The plaintiff's goal is to impose litigation costs on a critic or citizen who has spoken out on a public issue, making the fight expensive...
Georgia uses the term "dispossessory" where most states say "eviction." The proceeding's purpose is restoring possession to the landlord. It is governed by O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-49 through 44-7-59 and moves quickly — uncontested, a landlord can go from demand to writ...