By far, the most common way that the courts compensate plaintiffs is through monetary awards.  That is, they award the plaintiff money.   The amount of money awarded depends on a number of factors. The most common factor is the question of "what will it take to make the plaintiff whole.

The two most common types of monetary relief are compensatory and punitive damages.  Compensatory damages are intended to compensate the injured party for his or her loss.  Special damages are a subset of compensatory damages; they represent the direct costs of the wrongdoing, such as hospital bills or wages lost while being treated.  General damages are also a result of the wrongdoing, but are subjective in amount, such as awards for the plaintiff's pain and suffering or a payment for his or her mental anguish.  Some contracts anticipate a breach of the agreement and stipulate how much will be awarded in the event a party reneges on the deal; these are called liquidated damages.  There are also cases where a wrong was committed by the defendant, but the plaintiff suffered almost no harm; nominal damages, such as an award of $1, are made in such cases.  Punitive damages, which generally are available only if authorized by statute, are awarded to punish the defendant and are a warning to others who would consider undertaking similar conduct.  Treble damages are a variation of punitive damages – triple the amount of the plaintiff's actual losses.