daños

Daños is the plural form of daño, a Spanish noun that denotes harm, injury, or detriment suffered by a person, property, or a broader interest. In everyday language it can refer to any loss or impairment, but in many legal systems it has a specific meaning related to compensation for losses caused by another party’s fault.

In legal contexts, the phrase daños y perjuicios is commonly used to describe the damages and losses payable to an injured party. Damages can be categorized in several ways. Daños materiales (material damages) or daño emergente cover tangible losses such as repair costs, medical expenses, or depreciation of property. Daños morales (moral damages) refer to non‑material harm, including distress, harm to reputation, or emotional suffering. Some systems also distinguish lucro cesante (loss of earnings) from daño emergente. Environmental damages, or daños ambientales, address harm to ecosystems, natural resources, or public health.

Liability for damages typically arises when a party’s fault or breach of duty causes the harm. The aim of compensation is to restore the injured party, as far as possible, to the position before the damage occurred, through indemnización or reparación. Calculation of damages relies on evidence, such as invoices, medical records, appraisals, and expert testimony, and may involve both economic quantification and, where allowed, non‑pecuniary considerations.

Regional differences exist: some jurisdictions recognize a broader concept of damages with caps on non‑economic losses; others limit certain categories or use different terms. In practice, danos y perjuicios provides a foundational framework for compensating harm across civil law and, to varying degrees, common-law influenced systems.