Quantum Damnificatus

An issue directed by a court of equity to be tried in a court of law, to ascertain by a trial before a jury, the amount of damages suffered by the non-performance of some collateral undertaking which a penalty has been given to secure. When such damages have thus been ascertained the court will grant relief upon their payment.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.