Runaway Jury Awards: The Rise of Nuclear Verdicts

Summary

In this 1:47 Expert Viewpoints clip, Claims Journal’s Allen Laman interviews Pragatee Dhakal, Director of Product Strategy and Enablement at CLARA Analytics, about the surge of "nuclear verdicts"—jury awards that dwarf economic damages. They explore how social inflation, emotionally charged narratives, and growing public distrust of corporations are prompting juries to impose punitive damages far beyond traditional limits. Dhakal highlights data‑driven insights from CLARA Analytics that show patterns in case selection, plaintiff strategies, and jurisdictional factors fueling these runaway awards. The discussion underscores the need for insurers and risk managers to adapt underwriting, reserving, and litigation strategies to this evolving landscape.