You can demand the sun, moon and stars if you feel like it. The judge instructs the jury on what grounds they can award damages, and those grounds may or may not impose a limit - sometimes you get 'economic' damages that represent quantifiable loss, sometimes you also get 'punitive' damages that are designed to send a warning to other potential defendants. Sometimes the case is dismissed and you get nothing. If damages are awarded, there are usually procedural arguments over their size at appeal.
In some respects, asking for $25 million can be seen as an assertion that the litigant intends to a) get the defendant's full attention and b) be very stubborn, causing the defendant to run up a hefty legal bill, if nothing else. Not a lawyer, just a law student with an interest in the economics of litigation.
In some respects, asking for $25 million can be seen as an assertion that the litigant intends to a) get the defendant's full attention and b) be very stubborn, causing the defendant to run up a hefty legal bill, if nothing else. Not a lawyer, just a law student with an interest in the economics of litigation.