Here’s a way to kick off your next talk to supervisors about avoiding discrimination charges.
A recent study released by UCLA-RAND Center for Law and Public Policy detailed the “average” defense costs and jury awards in California employment law discrimination cases.
The study shows:
- The median legal costs to a defendant/employer through trial are $150,000. Even if the case goes to summary judgment — meaning a judge dismisses the charges before going to trial — the employer’s legal costs are about $75,000.
- And all that cash doesn’t include awards to employees who successfully waged lawsuits. The data for 360 cases in which 207 plaintiffs won show the median award in the low six figures.
- Of the 207 cases in the study where the plaintiff prevailed, the verdicts ranged from mid-five figures to low seven figures. The median verdict was in the low six figures.
- Verdicts for race and national origin discrimination tended to be at the higher end; discrimination for medical conditions and sexual orientation tended to be on the higher end.
