A survey of 251 U.S. corporate law offices by the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski reveals the likelihood that employment lawsuits will rise still more in 2010. Actually, most respondents said that the level of lawsuits will at least remain the same while 34 percent foresaw a spike.
Of the types of suits currently affecting employers, the wage-and-hour violation is the most prevalent, and the industry most affected by this type of lawsuit is retail.
After wage and hour, the other prominent areas of litigation are discrimination suits, privacy claims, ERISA, disability claims, and age discrimination.
Race and sex discrimination cases appear to be the costliest, both in terms of litigation and settlement.