Employment Discrimination Economic Damages Expert in Oregon

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

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

Oregon courts and expert standards

Oregon courts apply a multi-factor reliability inquiry of their own to expert testimony, asking whether the method is accepted in the profession, whether it has been tested and reviewed, and whether the economist applied it to the facts of the case, with qualification resting on training and experience. A damages report meets that inquiry by showing the published basis for each assumption and its fit with the record.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Oregon Supreme Court. Federal venues: D. Or. Court system: courts.oregon.gov.

Damages framework

Oregon reduces a negligence-based award by the plaintiff's share of fault and bars recovery once that share exceeds the combined fault of the defendants. Prejudgment interest is available on a liquidated sum from the date it was due and generally not on unliquidated injury damages. Economic damages are not subject to a general statutory limit outside specific statutory claims, so the report identifies the liquidated components separately and states the projected components as of a fixed date.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to an employment discrimination case venued in Oregon; 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 Oregon

Frequently asked: employment discrimination cases in Oregon

Which Oregon courts hear employment discrimination cases?

Employment Discrimination cases venued in Oregon are heard in the Circuit Court (General jurisdiction; 27 judicial districts; civil, criminal, family, and probate matters). Final appeals run to the Oregon Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.

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

Oregon reduces a negligence-based award by the plaintiff's share of fault and bars recovery once that share exceeds the combined fault of the defendants. Prejudgment interest is available on a liquidated sum from the date it was due and generally not on unliquidated injury damages. Economic damages are not subject to a general statutory limit outside specific statutory claims, so the report identifies the liquidated components separately and states the projected components as of a fixed date. Oregon courts apply a multi-factor reliability inquiry of their own to expert testimony, asking whether the method is accepted in the profession, whether it has been tested and reviewed, and whether the economist applied it to the facts of the case, with qualification resting on training and experience. A damages report meets that inquiry by showing the published basis for each assumption and its fit with the record.

More questions about employment discrimination analysis

References

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