Thanks for the clarification! Your post was quite helpful. Indeed I was conflating punitive w/statutory (which made me wonder how I managed to win [what I thought was] punitive damages in small claims court the past). The compensatory damages and statutory damages I'm asking are unrelated apart from involving the same defendant. So I think splitting the case is trivial. I just need to come up with the wording.. whether to motion to "remove the statutory damage claims" or to ask for those claims to be "dismissed without prejudice".