Final answer:
Nominal damages represent the court's recognition of a breach of legal duty without substantial loss to the plaintiff, and therefore the court awards a very small amount of money. These are symbolic and are not accompanied by compensatory or punitive damages unless additional factors warrant such awards.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a court awards nominal damages, it means that the court has recognized that a legal wrong has occurred, but that the plaintiff did not suffer a substantial loss or injury as a result. The key characteristic of nominal damages is the acknowledgement of a breach or violation without significant harm. Therefore, the correct answer is d. award a very small amount of money.
Nominal damages are symbolic and typically involve a very small monetary award such as one dollar. This is to affirm the rights of the plaintiff, despite the lack of substantial harm. Nominal damages do not accompany compensatory damages, since compensatory damages are intended to compensate for actual loss or damage, which is not indicated in a nominal damages situation.
The award of punitive damages may occur if there is an intentional breach of the contract with malicious intent or egregious behavior, but this is separate and in addition to the recognition of the breach represented by nominal damages. Punitive damages are not automatically linked with the award of nominal damages but can be considered if the circumstances warrant such punitive measure.