No Wonder They're in State Court!

A brief update to my post last week about the surprising news that EEOC age bias complaints are down in 2009. That post included a quote from an incredulous attorney who claimed age bias claims were actually on the rise, they were just in state courts instead of federal courts.

Well, today I came across some numbers in The Manpower Employment Blawg:

"Employers are better off in federal court, where they won 43% of the cases, versus only 37% in state court. In addition, the median federal award was 39% lower than the median state award ($164,925 versus $270,000)."

Or taken from the employee's perspective... a better chance of winning and more money. No wonder employees are seeking out state courts!

Endnote: The stats are not limited to age bias claims. Manpower got the numbers from Jury Verdict Research's latest study available for purchase here.