There are two basic categories of monetary compensation, or damages, you can recover: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages consist of money you have paid or will pay out-of-pocket, such as certain medical expenses and lost wages. Non-economic damages are for your pain and suffering and other "intangible" losses that aren’t easily priced. Punitive damages can be recovered in cases of egregious negligence, or in which the other party deliberately or intentionally injured you, as in an assault and battery.