Opening Statements
Employing the Law
If recent jury verdicts are any indication, it is good to be a plaintiffs employment discrimination lawyer these days—at least if the case gets to trial:
• In 2007, the median discrimination verdict rose some 70 percent to $252,000 from $147,000 in 2006.
• Employers won only 38 percent of discrimination cases in 2007, prevailing most often in race discrimination cases (43 percent) and losing most frequently in sex discrimination cases (30 percent).
• Employers in the manufacturing and industrial sectors had the biggest verdicts, followed by the government, transportation and service sectors.
Source: Employment Practice Liability: Jury Award Trends and Statistics, 2008 report by Jury Verdict Research.
