A 52-year-old New York man who was fired from his teaching job in 2009 has just been awarded additional money toward his salary that will raise him to the level he would have been at had he not been unlawfully terminated. Both the district in which he taught and its superintendent were previously found liable for age discrimination following his termination.
The award in the amount of $20,000 is in addition to $70,000 in back pay and over $83,000 in legal fees that the court has already ruled the teacher must receive. The man will also be owed pension contributions from the district to the New York State Teachers Retirement System.
The man’s attorney commented that paying the teacher only $65,000 after he was reinstated was a form of job retaliation. While the district took the position that the man was not eligible for the higher pay step due to not working from 2009 to 2013, the judge based his decision on the fact that the only reason the man was not working was due to his wrongful termination.
Individuals who feel they have been wrongfully dismissed from a job due to age, religion, gender or for other similar reasons may wish to speak with an attorney. If it can be demonstrated that the dismissal was without cause and was a form of discrimination, it may be possible to file a successful lawsuit. As this case shows, the individual may be eligible for more than just job reinstatement. Lost wages, court fees and other amounts may be awarded as well. When an individual spends several years off work due to wrongful dismissal, they may lose on retirement and salary increases, and the court may take this into account.
Source: Suffolk Times, “School district wrongfully set reinstated teacher’s pay, judge rules“, Jennifer Gustavson , August 15, 2014
Source: Suffolk Times, “School district wrongfully set reinstated teacher’s pay, judge rules“, Jennifer Gustavson , August 15, 2014
