Answer
Exemplary (or corrective) damages are imposed by way of example or correction for the public good, in addition to moral, temperate, liquidated, or compensatory damages (Civil Code Article 2229). They are never a stand-alone award, and they cannot be recovered as a matter of right — the court decides whether they are warranted (Article 2233).
The ground depends on the source of the obligation: in criminal offenses, when the crime was committed with one or more aggravating circumstances (Article 2230); in quasi-delicts, when the defendant acted with gross negligence (Article 2231); and in contracts or quasi-contracts, when the defendant acted in a wanton, fraudulent, reckless, oppressive, or malevolent manner (Article 2232). The plaintiff must first be entitled to moral, temperate, or compensatory damages before exemplary damages may be considered (Article 2234).