As an initial reaction, you may wonder -- what is the point of a damages cap? It may seem that damages caps are unfair to plaintiffs, the people that bring the lawsuit. If a jury of the plaintiff's peers determines that a plaintiff deserves $10 million in damages, why should the courts override that decision? Although there is merit to this question, the counter-argument is simple: because many people believe high awards can put a drag on the overall economy.
Damages caps are an attempt to manage the high costs of doing business (which are ultimately passed on to the consumer) by reducing the liability of service providers. Think about a medical malpractice case. A doctor's mistake can have devastating consequences for his or her patient, and juries might be inclined to award millions of dollars to the patient in non-economic damages. In most cases, it is the doctor's medical malpractice insurance company that pays those damages -- starting a chain reaction of increasing costs.
To make up for the millions paid in damages (and the risk of future large damages awards), the insurance company increases the costs to the doctor associated with medical malpractice insurance. This in turn means it will cost more for the doctors to practice medicine, which ultimately means that patients will have to pay more on their medical bills to cover these increased costs.
In addition to managing the costs of doing business, damages caps also discourage people from trying to play "lawsuit lotto" -- bringing a suit simply because they think they can win a lot of money. Courts want to ensure that the justice system is reserved for people who are actually injured and seeking compensation.