Wrongful Termination Economic Damages Expert in Florida

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

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

A wrongful termination economic claim measures what the employee lost when the employment ended, as back pay, front pay, and lost benefits, and how much of that loss has been or should be replaced by other work. Read the full wrongful termination analysis guide.

Florida courts and expert standards

Florida courts apply a reliability inquiry to expert testimony: the judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and on reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were applied reliably to the facts of the case. A damages report is written to that standard, with each rate and table traced to a published source.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Florida Supreme Court. Federal venues: N.D. Fla., M.D. Fla., S.D. Fla. Court system: flcourts.gov.

Damages framework

Florida reduces a negligence-based award by the plaintiff's share of fault and, in most negligence actions, bars recovery once the plaintiff is found more at fault than the defendants. Prejudgment interest is awarded on a liquidated loss from the date it was sustained but is generally not awarded on personal injury or wrongful death damages. Economic damages are not subject to a general statutory limit outside specific statutory claims, and the report separates the liquidated components from the projected ones so the interest computation can follow.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a wrongful termination case venued in Florida; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Build the but-for compensation path from the pay history and the employer's pay and promotion practices, including the benefit accruals that would have continued.
  2. Compare it with the replacement earnings actually received, or with a reasonable job-search duration and replacement wage level drawn from local occupational data.
  3. Calculate pension and deferred compensation losses from the plan terms and equity losses from the award schedule.
  4. Discount the future components to present value at a stated rate and present back pay, front pay, and benefits separately.

Attorney guides for wrongful termination cases

Other case types in Florida

Frequently asked: wrongful termination cases in Florida

Which Florida courts hear wrongful termination cases?

Wrongful Termination cases venued in Florida are heard in the Circuit Court (General jurisdiction; larger civil cases, felonies, family law, probate). Final appeals run to the Florida Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida, and Southern District of Florida.

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

Florida reduces a negligence-based award by the plaintiff's share of fault and, in most negligence actions, bars recovery once the plaintiff is found more at fault than the defendants. Prejudgment interest is awarded on a liquidated loss from the date it was sustained but is generally not awarded on personal injury or wrongful death damages. Economic damages are not subject to a general statutory limit outside specific statutory claims, and the report separates the liquidated components from the projected ones so the interest computation can follow. Florida courts apply a reliability inquiry to expert testimony: the judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and on reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were applied reliably to the facts of the case. A damages report is written to that standard, with each rate and table traced to a published source.

More questions about wrongful termination analysis

References

Request a consultation on wrongful termination cases in Florida or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.