Originally presented on August 20, 2025.
Recent events (the #MeToo and Black Lives movements and pandemic-related layoffs and terminations) and legislation (the California Equal Pay Act 2019 amendment) have led labor and employment attorneys to expect an influx of litigation.
Forensic economist Nora Ostrofe, MBA CEA AVA, will explain the fundamentals of how economists calculate damage claims in discrimination, Fair Pay Act, wrongful termination, and class action (including wage and hour) cases.
California and Federal Equal Pay Act, and Title VII discrimination cases often require detailed calculations of compensation with, and without, discrimination. Wrongful termination wage loss claims, or calculations of back pay and front pay, can be quite challenging. Research can involve the availability of comparable jobs, the effect of the termination on the Plaintiff’s employment prospects, the expected duration of the Plaintiff’s job search, and the Plaintiff’s expected post-termination earnings. Furthermore, front pay claims are frequently disregarded by finders of fact when they award economic damages.
Class action cases frequently require management and analysis of voluminous and frequently disorderly data sets.
Nora will explain perspectives that experts can take that influence value. She will take time to respond to participant queries in Question-and-Answer sessions. She will also give useful practice pointers, such as: minimizing economic expert fees; obtaining economic data through discovery from recalcitrant opposing counsel; and how to depose and cross examine economic experts.
Takeaways from the webinar include how to read and understand an economist’s report; how to build a credible case for damage claims (or identify incredible ones); how to address inadequate attempts to mitigate damages; and how to get the most from your economic expert.
Nora C. Ostrofe, MBA CEA CVA, is a forensic economist who calculates economic damages in a wide variety of practice areas: business interruption, business valuation, class action (product liability and FELA and state wage and hour), elder abuse, employment (Fair Pay Act, Federal whistleblower, FELA and state wage and hour, and wrongful termination), marital dissolution, mortgage fraud, pension and stock option valuation, and personal injury (asbestos, Jones Act, life care plan valuation, medical malpractice, wrongful death) litigation. She is retained frequently as a damages expert in employment cases. She has twenty-six (26) years of experience as an expert witness.