This project is ongoing. Descriptions, methods and results may be updated after further validation.
Educational and informational content. It is not legal advice, guidance for a specific case or an institutional position. Examples and analyses use only legitimate sources and public data, aggregated or properly anonymised.
Research question
Which factors explain the value of moral damages awards and how much do decisions vary across similar cases?
Motivation
Moral damages have no statutory schedule in Brazil. The dispersion of awards across similar cases affects predictability, incentives to litigate and equal treatment. Measuring that dispersion and its determinants is the first step to discussing it with evidence.
Data
- Public appellate decisions of the Federal District court (2015–2025)
- Structured extraction of award values, subject matter and case characteristics from text
Methodology
- Text mining and variable extraction with manual validation
- Regression models for award values and for dispersion
Limitations
- Data collection is still in progress; the variable extractor is under validation.
- Only cases that reached the appellate level are observed.
Implications
- Empirical parameters for the debate on award predictability.
- Reference tools for lawyers, judges and researchers.
Planned applied products (possible outreach, subject to registration)
- Award-value lookup dashboard by subject matter (after validation)