KW Economics prepares employment damages analysis for wrongful termination cases venued in Missouri: what the loss claim consists of, the records that drive it, and a present value built to Missouri 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.
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.
Highest court: Missouri Supreme Court. Court system: courts.mo.gov.
Federal venues: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri.
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.
We issue the final report and provide deposition and trial testimony, rebuttal of opposing damages opinions, and updated calculations as the trial date moves.
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.
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. Wrongful Termination cases venued in Missouri are heard in the Circuit Court (General jurisdiction; 46 judicial circuits; all civil, criminal, domestic, and probate matters), with final appeals to the Missouri Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the Eastern District of Missouri and Western District of Missouri.
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. 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 Missouri rules to a documented figure.
Request a consultation on Employment Damages or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.