Harassment Compensation Estimator
Estimate potential damages based on lost wages, medical expenses, and emotional distress.
1. Economic Damages (Financial Loss)
2. Non-Economic Damages (General Damages)
*Disclaimer: This is a rough estimation tool. Actual legal outcomes vary significantly based on jurisdiction, evidence, and specific case merits.
Understanding Harassment Compensation Claims
Experiencing workplace harassment or personal harassment is a traumatic event that often carries significant financial and emotional burdens. When seeking legal recourse, victims often wonder what their claim might be worth. Compensation in harassment cases is typically divided into two categories: economic damages and non-economic damages.
How Compensation is Calculated
The total value of a harassment claim is generally the sum of your tangible financial losses (Special Damages) and intangible suffering (General Damages). Because emotional distress doesn't have a specific price tag, courts and attorneys often use a "multiplier method" to estimate value, where economic losses are multiplied by a factor based on the severity of the harassment.
Economic Damages
- Back Pay: The wages and benefits you lost from the time of the harassment or wrongful termination until the date of the settlement or judgment.
- Front Pay: Compensation for future lost wages if you are unable to return to your previous position or find comparable employment.
- Out-of-Pocket Costs: This includes therapy bills, medical treatments, job search costs, and legal fees incurred as a direct result of the harassment.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages address "pain and suffering." In harassment cases, this focuses on emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and damage to professional reputation. The more severe the conduct and the longer it persisted, the higher the multiplier usually applied to the case.
If an employee was forced to quit (constructive discharge) and was out of work for 4 months at a salary of $4,000/month, their lost wages equal $16,000. If they spent $2,000 on therapy, their total economic loss is $18,000. If the case is deemed "Moderate" severity (multiplier of 2x), the emotional distress portion might be estimated at $36,000, bringing the total estimate to $54,000.
Factors That Influence Your Settlement
Several variables can drastically change the final amount received in a settlement or court award:
- Strength of Evidence: Written documentation, emails, witness testimony, and recordings significantly strengthen a claim.
- Employer Response: If an employer had a clear policy and took immediate action, damages may be lower. Conversely, if they ignored complaints, punitive damages might be applicable.
- Jurisdictional Caps: Some states or federal laws (like Title VII) have statutory limits on how much can be awarded for emotional distress based on the size of the employer.
- Mitigation: Victims have a "duty to mitigate" damages, meaning they must show they made a reasonable effort to find new employment if they lost their job.
The Role of Punitive Damages
In cases of extreme malice or reckless indifference by the harasser or organization, a court may award punitive damages. These are not designed to compensate the victim, but rather to punish the wrongdoer and deter others from similar conduct. Our calculator does not include punitive damages, as these are rare and highly dependent on judicial discretion.