Jurisdiction Intelligence Report

Employment Law Case Values in California (2026)

Data-driven verdict and settlement analysis for Employment Law cases in California. Median outcome: $14.0M across 5 tracked cases.

Verdicts Tracked
5
Median Outcome
$14.0M
Mean Outcome
$32.0M
Range
$2.6M–$103.0M

Verdict Distribution

RangeCasesPercent
$1M–$5M120%
$5M+480%

Key Valuation Factors

Severity and duration of discriminatory or retaliatory conductEmployer size and financial resources influencing punitive damagesAvailability of non-economic damages including emotional distress without statutory capStrength of internal HR documentation and employer remediation effortsPublic vs. private employer status and sovereign immunity considerations

Key Trends & Insights

California Employment Law verdicts demonstrate significant upward pressure on damages, with a mean outcome of $32.0M substantially exceeding the median of $14.0M, indicating that high-value outlier verdicts — particularly the $103.0M age discrimination award by Shegerian & Associates — are skewing overall averages and signaling jury willingness to impose punitive consequences on employers. Discrimination-based claims, spanning age, disability, and religious categories, dominate the recent case landscape, reflecting both an active plaintiff bar and California's broad protections under FEHA. The absence of a non-economic damages cap, combined with California's plaintiff-favorable jury culture and pure comparative negligence framework, continues to create substantial financial exposure for employer defendants across public and private sectors alike.

Notable Cases

Shegerian & Associates — Age Discrimination Verdict $103.0M
2025 · Shegerian & Associates (public post)

Record $103M age discrimination verdict — the largest of its kind in US history. Part of $141.45M in employment jury verdicts obtained by the firm in 2025.

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Shegerian & Associates — Disability Discrimination Verdict $32.3M
2025 · Shegerian & Associates (public post)

Record $32.3M disability discrimination verdict — the largest of its kind in US history. ADA/FEHA failure to accommodate and discriminatory termination.

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Pinter Brown v. UC Regents $14.0M
2024 · TopVerdict.com

Gender discrimination, workplace harassment, retaliation, and constructive discharge against University of California Regents. Details sparse in listing [TopVerdict.com](https://topverdict.com/lists/2024/united-states/top-20-labor-employment-verdicts).

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Toscano v. City of Oakland, et al. $2.6M
2024 · TopVerdict.com

Plaintiff alleged retaliation and sexual harassment creating a hostile work environment. Case involved workplace sexual harassment and victim retaliation. Jury awarded over $2.6 million.

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BART Religious Discrimination Verdict (6 plaintiffs) $8.0M
2024 · Shegerian Conniff

$7.98M total verdict ($1M+ per worker) for six BART employees denied religious exemptions from COVID vaccine mandate. Jury rejected BART's hardship defense.

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