Wrongful Termination: How Much Compensation Can I Expect?

In California, an employer does not need a reason to terminate your employment. Under the state’s at-will employment law, your boss can fire you for any reason or no reason at all. State law does, however, prohibit certain reasons for terminating a worker’s employment. It is illegal, for example, to fire someone based solely on something related to a protected class, such as a female worker being fired for getting pregnant or someone getting fired for requesting time off for religious purposes. If your boss wrongfully terminates your employment, you could recover financial compensation for your damages by filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles.

What Can You Get Compensated For?

Damages refer to the economic losses you suffered due to wrongful termination, such as losses of income and non-economic damages. Damages also refer to the financial compensation you could receive from another party for his or her wrongdoing or negligence, including a tort such as wrongful termination. In California, the financial compensation you may receive from a wrongful termination claim could reimburse both past and future losses.

  • Lost wages. The amount of money you likely would have earned if your boss had not terminated your employment and you remained at work. This includes front pay for the time between your case’s resolution and when you returned to work.
  • Lost employment benefits. If the wrongful termination took away any employment benefits, such as medical insurance coverage, 401(k) contributions, student loan repayments or bonuses, you could recover these costs.
  • Costs of searching for a new job. Your ex-employer may owe you money to make up for the out-of-pocket costs of searching for a new position, such as hiring a headhunter or enrolling in classes for a new career.
  • Therapy or medical care. If your work-related experience made it necessary to seek medical care and/or psychological therapy, you could recoup these costs from your employer as well.
  • Punitive damages. In limited circumstances, a judge in California may grant punitive damages to a plaintiff to punish an employer for particularly negligent or wrongful acts, such as labor law violations.

The amount of compensation you can recover during a wrongful termination lawsuit will depend on the damages you suffered. Awards in Los Angeles correlate with the losses the injured victim sustained. If your wrongful termination case also involved discrimination or sexual harassment, for example, your case could be worth a greater amount due to greater damages incurred. A lawyer can help you calculate the value of your wrongful termination claim through an in-depth look at how it affected your life and livelihood.

Factors Affecting Wrongful Termination Claims

A wrongful termination claim in LA can lead to awards ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 or more depending on the plaintiff, with an average payout of around $35,000. The courts will analyze many different factors when putting a number to the value of a wrongful termination case. Factors that could impact your award include your amount of damages, your average pay before getting fired, whether you can get your job back, how your employer treated you and how much emotional distress you experienced. A lawyer can help you fight for a reasonable amount based on the factors specific to your case. A lawyer will know how to successfully negotiate with an insurance claims adjuster for a fair outcome on your behalf.

Should You Hire an LA Wrongful Termination Attorney?

Wrongful termination is a complicated area of employment law that may require advice and representation from an attorney. A Los Angeles wrongful termination lawyer will have the experience and information to build a stronger claim on your behalf. The right lawyer could help you hold your employer accountable for wrongfully firing you. This could mean holding your employer liable for past and future lost earnings, emotional distress, and many other damages. Learn all the ways a lawyer could help with your wrongful termination case. Contact Mathew & George for a free consultation today.