Recoverable Damages for Discrimination

Answer:

We recently had a client ask what type of damages they can recover because they felt that they were discriminated against at work. In California, the types of damages we look for are lost wages or lost income –this is income you’ve lost from the point that the bad thing happened to you at work up until trial – and then there’s future lost income, which is income you’re reasonably likely to lose in the future as a result of losing your job or being discriminated against.

There are also emotional distress damages or pain and suffering. These types of damages are very common when someone’s been discriminated against. For example, if someone has been terminated from their employment, there’s a lot of stress and anxiety that goes on with how they’re going to pay their bills, how they’re going to pay their rent or their mortgage, how they’re going to feed their family. These are the types of emotional distress damages that you can get in a discrimination case. You can also get punitive damages against some employers. There are also provisions in the law for attorneys’ fees in these types of cases. If you feel that you’ve been discriminated against, give our office a call for a consultation.