The purpose behind compensatory money damages is that they are intended to make you "whole." Compensatory damages are also called actual damages. In employment cases, they refer to the damages that are harder to measure, such as the following: Emotional distress Pain and suffering (such as grief, fright, anxiety, humiliation, and depression) Permanent disability Mental impairment Medical bills In employment discrimination cases brought under the federal anti-discrimination law, Title VII, the compensatory and punitive damages (but not back pay) that a jury could award to plaintiffs for discrimination are capped. If the employer has 15-100 employees, the cap is $50,000 101-200 employees, the cap is $100,000 201-500 employees, the cap is $200,000 500 employees and up, the cap is $300,000 Other types of cases, and cases brought under some state laws may not be subject to these caps, however.