There are a few reasons why previous employees of a given organization may file suit against that employer for wrongful termination, and one of the most common is due to issues of discrimination. It is expressly illegal for any employer in the US to fire someone based on discrimination or related concerns, and employers who have been found to do so can be punished in several ways, including making restitution to the employee in question.
At Phoenix Deposition Services, we’re proud to offer a variety of court reporter services to attorneys and clients in numerous different case types, from general depositions to video depositions and more. Our court reporters often play a major role in helping document the details of a discrimination-based wrongful termination case, ensuring clients get the proper representation of their complaint to allow for full restitution. Why is our role so important for these kinds of cases, and what are some of the remedies that might be possible for clients within them? Here’s a primer.
It’s All in the Details
For the vast majority of wrongful termination cases based on discrimination, tiny details often make a major difference, with the minutiae of the case itself being major factors in determining its outcome. This is why it’s so important to have a highly-trained court reporter working at these events, capturing every single detail of what’s said during deposition questioning through transcripts that are truly thorough and comprehensive.
For instance, many wrongful termination cases where the past employee is alleging discrimination will involve conversations and even arguments between the employee and his or her superiors regarding various levels of treatment within the workplace. These conversations may not directly address issues of discrimination, but if they can be shown to nevertheless have had a major impact on why the person in question ended up being terminated, it might lead to punitive deterrents for the employer involved such as fines or other forms of restitution.
Types of Damages
In cases where the court finds an employer did engage in discriminatory practices that led to wrongful termination, there are two primary types of damages that may be levied:
- Compensatory: This is where the court will look at all lost wages of the person in question, including both direct and indirect earnings, along with benefits they may have lost out on.
- Punitive: This is where fines associated with discriminatory practices are levied against an employer, to discourage this type of activity from occurring again in the future. These are often large, and can vary widely from case to case.
There are limits on both these damage forms based on the size of the employer, but they are significant in both cases.
In either of these cases, a thorough and comprehensive court reporter’s transcript of the deposition event will be crucial in being able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that discriminatory practices did indeed take place. How? By showing a pattern of behavior within the testimony contained within the deposition transcript itself.
For more on the role our court reporters play in wrongful termination cases alleging discrimination, or to learn about any of our Phoenix court reporters and our services, speak to the team at Phoenix Deposition Services today.
