Ominously, he added, "Such damages would very likely make the Pennzoil judgment pale in comparison".
No international funding mechanism could bear the cost of rehabilitation from such damages.
Such damages are hard to quantify, and often produce huge awards by sympathetic juries.
Under Florida law, such damages cannot be so big that they drive a company into bankruptcy.
It ruled that such damages should be limited to sales in America, but not abroad.
BP has already paid nearly $8 billion to cover such damages.
Mr. McCain and the Democrats would set a $5 million limit on such damages in federal court.
At the same time, the bill raised the level of proof plaintiffs must show to win such damages.
If such damages become widespread, experts say, it may make it easier to reach a consensus on measured sentencing.
Such damages have been collected in the past, but generally only in cases related to catastrophic ecological events, like major oil spills.
Such damages are due to come into force in November for newspapers, including all national ones, which have refused to sign up to a charter-compliant regulator.
