As an European, it’s kinda strange to me that the punitory damages are awarded to the person in question, for two reasons.
Punitory damages aren’t meant to protect that one person (it’s highly unlikely that Starbucks is going to wrongfully fire the same woman a second time) but instead they are meant to protect society
Punitory lawsuits should not depend on the legal budget of one individual
The way it works over here is like this:
There would be two lawsuits:
The regular civil lawsuit between the wronged person and the company. The result will be compensatory measures awarded to the wronged person.
The chamber of labour will run a separate lawsuit regarding law violations/structural issues of the company. The result will be a change in the company and punitory measures. If these include fees, they are awarded to the government.