The High Cost of Misconduct: Corporate Penalties Reach the Trillion-Dollar Mark

Regulatory fines, criminal penalties, and class-action settlements paid by corporations in the United States since 2000 have now surpassed $1 trillion. Total payouts for corporate misconduct grew from around $7 billion per year in the early 2000s to more than $50 billion annually in recent years. This amounts to a seven-fold increase in current dollars — a 300% increase in constant dollars.