[JumpCrisscross]

To underline why, consider the consequences of letting anyone sue anyone for potential violations. Every minor perceived violation would result in a cascade of lawsuits. You could bankrupt a competitor by baselessly speculating on their wrongdoing.

Generalised lawbreaking is a public concern. It’s prosecutors’ and regulators’ jobs to protect consumers ex ante.

[lazide]

Yup, though for some things that there is a strong public policy reason to discourage, statutory damages can make a good disincentive.

Easy to argue the good/bad of it, but the California statutory damages lawsuit wave related to ADA accommodations definitely got a lot of business owners to pay attention. [https://www.thakurlawfirm.com/single-post/2020/06/15/ada-law...]