Personal Injury Law

Negligence

What is the concept of deep pockets?

“Deep pockets” is an important principle in tort law and refers to the principle that a plaintiff hopes to be able to recover damages from a party who has the ability to pay a court judgment. Recall that the primary purpose of tort law is to compensate an injured party for the damages that he or she has suffered. A party with deep pockets has the financial ability to pay in a tort case. Take the example of the newspaper delivery person who hits your car, causing significant property damage to your car and personal injury to you. You hope you can sue the newspaper that employed the delivery person, because the newspaper publisher probably has “deep pockets,” while the delivery person may not be able to pay any judgment or settlement.



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