Employee Litigation

As employee-related litigation continues to rise, we thought it would be good to show your school where the litigation is coming from and what your school can do to prevent it.

In this post, we want to break down employee-related lawsuit statistics and show you how big of a problem it is becoming for employers here in the U.S.

We will then spend the next two posts focusing on what your school can do to prevent these types of claims.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our agency at (702) 507-6999.

Statistics

Employment-related litigation remains a significant concern for employers as the number of employment-related cases filed each year continues to soar. In 2010 alone, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) obtained compensation and benefits for employees over $319 million through litigation and an additional $271.6 million through the informal resolution of EEOC charges[1]. These statistics do not include any settlements, judgments, and litigation expenses for an employment claim not within EEOC jurisdiction, such as wrongful discharge, family medical leave, wage and hour, violation of state discrimination laws, and contract actions.

 According to Jury Verdicts Research 2007 edition of “Employment Practices Liability, Jury Award Trends, and Statistics:”[2]

• Employee lawsuits have risen 400% in the past 20 years to the current level of 6.5 claims per 1,000 employees annually.

• The most common targets for Federal discrimination claims are private employers with between 15 and 100 employees (41.5%).

• In any employment case filed in federal court, there is a 16% chance the award will exceed $1 million and a 67% chance that the award will exceed $100,000; attorney fees are not included.

• In all federal court employment cases, the average compensatory award was $493,534 and reflects a 45% increase since 2000; a compensatory prize does not include punitive damages or attorney fees.

• If an employment lawsuit goes to trial, plaintiffs win 67% of cases in State court and 63% in federal court.

• The cost to settle an employment lawsuit has grown significantly over the last five years, from an average of $130,476 in 2001 to $310,845 in 2006.

Types of Litigation

Employment-related litigation can come in a variety of ways, but the most common claims are:

• Harassment
• Discrimination
• Unlawful Termination
• Violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).