Wrongful termination is illegal…and can cost a pretty penny. When a Missouri employee is the victim of wrongful termination, the employee may be entitled to financial compensation such as back pay and potentially employment-related compensation, including nonmonetary damages such as reinstatement.
Wrongful termination cases largely depend on the individual circumstances of each case, which directly affect the type compensation owed to the wrongfully terminated employee.
A recent wrongful termination lawsuit proves wrongful termination is both illegal and costly. The end result was an employee, who was not under Missouri laws, who received a $3.94 million settlement.
The wrongful termination lawsuit was originally filed around three years ago against Omeros, a drug development company, but is now over after the settlement was accepted by the court. The underlying facts of the lawsuit are that the plaintiff was the chief financial officer for the defendant company. While the plaintiff was working for the defendant, he filed a whistleblower complaint. The whistleblower complaint alleged wrongdoing and potentially illegal actions by the defendant company. The plaintiff was later terminated and claimed the termination was due to his involvement with the whistleblower complaint.
Since the plaintiff’s wrongful termination lawsuit was settled, there was no judicial determination of whether the plaintiff’s termination was lawful. In an explanation of the settlement, the defendant asserts the settlement is not representative of any wrongdoing and the settlement was only an economic decision. The settlement was entered into approximately one week before the trial was scheduled to begin. An experienced attorney can help a wronged employee receive their entitled compensation and provide legal counsel during the course of a wrongful termination challenge.
Source: Economy, “Omeros Settles Wrongful Termination Suit With Former CFO for $3.9M,” Luke Timmerman, Nov. 1, 2012
