What does proportionate claims mean?

Question

What does proportionate claims mean?  Could you help me understand the phrase? Thanks.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Without context, this would generally mean claims that are valid and reasonable. But this phrase would seldom be used. Usually the phrase used is "disproportionate claims," for example:

"The (monetary) claims that he filed were proportionate to the circumstances." (The amount of the monetary claims he was seeking was reasonable, considering the circumstances. For example, a store employee accidentally dented his car's fender and broke a headlight in the store parking lot, and he filed claims for a total of $500. But a sentence like this would rarely, if ever, be heard in the US.)

Usually you would only hear the negative version of the phrase:

"The amount of the claims he was seeking was disproportionate to the circumstances." (The amount of the claims he was seeking was not reasonable, considering the circumstances. For example, in a similar situation, the person filed claims totaling $5000.)

What does proportionate claims mean?

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