Employment Discrimination Economic Damages Expert in Missouri

By Christopher Skerritt, M.Ed., MBA, Chief of Economic Services · Published · Reviewed

KW Economics prepares economic damages analyses for employment discrimination cases venued in Missouri: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to Missouri's damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.

An employment discrimination economic claim measures the gap between the compensation the employee would have received absent the adverse action and the compensation actually received, as back pay, front pay, and lost benefits net of mitigation. Read the full employment discrimination analysis guide.

Missouri courts and expert standards

Missouri courts screen expert testimony for reliability: the judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were reliably applied to the case. A damages report meets that inquiry by stating its assumptions and naming the source of every rate and table.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Missouri Supreme Court. Federal venues: E.D. Mo., W.D. Mo. Court system: courts.mo.gov.

Damages framework

Missouri applies pure comparative fault in a negligence-based claim, reducing the award in proportion to the plaintiff's share. Interest on a liquidated contract sum runs from the date of demand, while prejudgment interest in tort turns on a written settlement offer that the judgment then exceeds. Economic damages are not subject to a general statutory limit outside specific statutory claims, so the report states each loss as of a fixed date and separates the sums that were due from the amounts that had to be projected.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to an employment discrimination case venued in Missouri; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Reconstruct the but-for compensation path from the employee's history and the employer's pay practices, including raises, bonus patterns, and benefit accruals.
  2. Compare that path with actual post-action earnings year by year, crediting mitigation from the employee's records or from local wage and unemployment duration data.
  3. Project front pay over the period the record supports for reaching comparable employment, with the loss shown at alternative durations.
  4. Separate back pay, front pay, and benefits, discount the future amounts to present value, and supply the schedule counsel needs for prejudgment interest.

Attorney guides for employment discrimination cases

Other case types in Missouri

Frequently asked: employment discrimination cases in Missouri

Which Missouri courts hear employment discrimination cases?

Employment Discrimination cases venued in Missouri are heard in the Circuit Court (General jurisdiction; 46 judicial circuits; all civil, criminal, domestic, and probate matters). Final appeals run to the Missouri Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri and Western District of Missouri.

How does Missouri's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

Missouri applies pure comparative fault in a negligence-based claim, reducing the award in proportion to the plaintiff's share. Interest on a liquidated contract sum runs from the date of demand, while prejudgment interest in tort turns on a written settlement offer that the judgment then exceeds. Economic damages are not subject to a general statutory limit outside specific statutory claims, so the report states each loss as of a fixed date and separates the sums that were due from the amounts that had to be projected. Missouri courts screen expert testimony for reliability: the judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were reliably applied to the case. A damages report meets that inquiry by stating its assumptions and naming the source of every rate and table.

More questions about employment discrimination analysis

References

Request a consultation on employment discrimination cases in Missouri or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.