Can the family of a worker killed in a construction fall recover punitive damages in Georgia?

Can the family of a worker killed in a construction fall recover punitive damages in Georgia?

Yes, in appropriate cases. Georgia’s punitive damages statute (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1) allows punitive damages when the defendant’s actions showed willful misconduct, malice, fraud, wantonness, oppression, or conscious disregard for the consequences. In construction fall cases, punitive damages may be available when a general contractor had actual notice of a dangerous condition and consciously chose not to correct it, or when an employer had a history of OSHA violations for the same hazard. Haug Barron Law Group evaluates punitive damages potential in every serious construction fall case.