For all of you people claiming about the amount sought for damages, here's what is going on. I was unable to find the plaintiff's petition online, but I feel comfortable that the following is true. In cases of this nature you have "actual" damages and "punitive" damages. Actual damages compensate you for your actual loss, i.e. medical bills, pain and suffering, mental anguish (and in this case his damages for loss of reputation will be included as actual damages). "Punitive" are additional damages designed to punish the offender for his/her conduct. Those damages usually require a finding that the offender committed the act with gross negligence, willful fraud, or with malice. In that case, the measure of punitive damages can be any amount which is calculated to send a message to the offender that society will not tolerate this conduct. After all, an amount which would cripple you and I would be insignificant to someone like Bill Gates. For rich defendants, like corporations or wealthy individuals, the amount is usually figured as a % of profits or net wealth. So, depending upon the movie's profits or Moore's wealth, $85 million may not be an unreasonable number.