Understanding Front Pay Damages in Wrongful Termination Claims
If you were wrongfully terminated from your job because of unlawful employment discrimination or retaliation, you may be wondering if you should file a claim and might be wondering what types of remedies you may be eligible to receive if you do file a claim. In wrongful termination cases, one common remedy is job reinstatement — in other words, the employee is reinstated to the position from which they were wrongfully terminated. At the same time, many types of remedies are monetary in nature, meaning that the wrongfully terminated employee is paid damages either to compensate for particular losses or to cover certain costs. In some cases, employers can be assessed penalties for particular egregious behavior.
In most wrongful termination cases, an employee will seek economic damages in the form of back pay and front pay. What are front pay damages, and how can you determine if you are eligible to receive them? Our Palm Beach Gardens wrongful termination attorney can explain in greater detail below, and we can discuss the specific facts of your case with you today.
What Are Back Pay and Front Pay?
To understand your eligibility for lost front pay, it is important to have a clear understanding of what back pay and front pay involve.
Back pay refers to the compensation that you would have received from the time of the wrongful termination up to the point of the judgment of wrongful termination in your favor. Accordingly, damages for lost back pay include the amount of money that you would have earned during those dates.
Front pay refers to the time period after the date of the judgment and up until an employee’s reinstatement. Accordingly, lost front pay or front pay damages refers to the money you would have earned after the date of the judgment but before your official reinstatement to your position if you had never been wrongfully terminated.
Am I Eligible for Front Pay?
Generally speaking, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals — the federal circuit court that includes cases out of Florida — has routinely ruled that wrongfully terminated employees can be eligible for lost back pay and front pay in a wrongful termination case. As such, you may be eligible for lost front pay if there is a gap of time between the date of the judgment in your favor and your reinstatement to your former job.
Although reinstatement is common in wrongful termination cases, in some circumstances where reinstatement is not practical, a wrongfully terminated employee also may be eligible for extensive front pay damages in lieu of reinstatement, according to Eleventh Circuit case law.
Contact Our Palm Beach Gardens Wrongful Termination Lawyers Today for Assistance
Were you recently fired from your job and have reason to believe that you were wrongfully terminated? Whether your termination arose out of unlawful discrimination or retaliation under state or federal law, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit and to seek multiple remedies that can include back pay and front pay. One of the experienced Palm Beach Gardens wrongful termination attorneys at Sconzo Law Office can discuss the details of your case with you today and can begin working with you on your wrongful termination lawsuit.
Source:
law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/197/1322/546422/