KW Economics prepares employment damages analysis for wrongful termination cases venued in Arizona: what the loss claim consists of, the records that drive it, and a present value built to Arizona damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.
A wrongful termination analysis asks what the employee lost when the employment ended and how much of that loss has been or should be replaced by other work. The economist builds the but-for compensation path from the employment agreement, pay history, and the employer's pay and promotion practices, including the benefit and pension accruals that would have continued, and compares it with the replacement earnings actually received. Front pay is projected over the period the record supports for reaching comparable employment, pension and deferred compensation losses are calculated from the plan terms, equity losses from the award schedule, and the future components are discounted to present value.
Back pay, front pay, and lost benefits in discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage-and-hour matters. The analysis reconstructs what the employee would have earned in the position, including raises, bonuses, and benefit accruals, measures actual interim earnings, and evaluates mitigation and the period over which front pay is reasonable. In wage-and-hour matters the same records drive an hours and pay reconstruction for the individual claim or the class.
The most contested component is usually the front pay period, because the employee's age, occupation, and local market determine how quickly comparable work is reasonably available. For long-tenured employees, the loss of accrued pension benefits and retiree health coverage can rival the pay loss, and for employees with equity compensation the unvested awards forfeited at termination can be the largest single item. Where the employee found comparable work quickly, the claim may reduce to a documented back pay figure with small benefit differences.
Arizona courts screen expert opinion for reliability before it reaches the jury: the judge asks whether the witness is qualified, whether the method rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles, and whether those principles were applied reliably to the case. An economic damages report is written to that inquiry, with each input tied to the record and each data series identified by source.
Highest court: Arizona Supreme Court. Court system: azcourts.gov.
Federal venues: District of Arizona.
Arizona applies pure comparative fault in a negligence-based claim, reducing the award in proportion to the plaintiff's share, and the state constitution bars legislative limits on the amount recovered for death or injury. Prejudgment interest is generally available on a liquidated sum, such as an unpaid contract balance, and not on unliquidated damages. Economic damages are not subject to a general statutory limit, so the report states each loss as of a fixed date and separates the liquidated components from the projected ones.
We issue the final report and provide deposition and trial testimony, rebuttal of opposing damages opinions, and updated calculations as the trial date moves.
The same four steps apply to a wrongful termination case venued in Arizona; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total. 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. Compare it with the replacement earnings actually received, or with a reasonable job-search duration and replacement wage level drawn from local occupational data. Calculate pension and deferred compensation losses from the plan terms and equity losses from the award schedule. Discount the future components to present value at a stated rate and present back pay, front pay, and benefits separately.
Arizona courts screen expert opinion for reliability before it reaches the jury: the judge asks whether the witness is qualified, whether the method rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles, and whether those principles were applied reliably to the case. An economic damages report is written to that inquiry, with each input tied to the record and each data series identified by source. Wrongful Termination cases venued in Arizona are heard in the Superior Court (General jurisdiction; larger civil cases, felonies, family law, probate), with final appeals to the Arizona Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the District of Arizona.
Arizona applies pure comparative fault in a negligence-based claim, reducing the award in proportion to the plaintiff's share, and the state constitution bars legislative limits on the amount recovered for death or injury. Prejudgment interest is generally available on a liquidated sum, such as an unpaid contract balance, and not on unliquidated damages. Economic damages are not subject to a general statutory limit, so the report states each loss as of a fixed date and separates the liquidated components from the projected ones. The report presents past and future amounts separately, states every rate and table with its source, and shows the result under the alternatives the other side is likely to argue, so counsel can apply the Arizona rules to a documented figure.
Request a consultation on Employment Damages or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.