EPL Overview

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Rising Employment Charges

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Coverage and Services

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Rising Employment Charges

Employers have been hit with hundreds of thousands of employment practices charges over the past few years. Most are charges of discrimination, harassment or wrongful termination. Some are filed in connection with workers’ compensation claims.

Charges are rising steeply:

Charge	Increase YE 2007-YE 2009
Employer retaliation	26 percent
Disability discrimination	21 percent
Age discrimination	19 percent
National origin discrimination	19 percent
Religious discrimination	18 percent
Sex discrimination	13 percent
Race discrimination	10 percent

—U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

52 percent of employment charges are against small businesses

According to studies by Jury Verdict Research and others:

• 75 percent are found to be meritless
• 81 percent are resolved through mediation or administrative hearings
• Defense costs typically run $22,400 to $40,500—staggering for many small businesses
• Cases that go to court or settle pre-trial average far more

Learn about SFM's EPL coverage and services 

To get started today, contact your insurance agent.

 

RELATED NEWS

• The rising tide of EPLI, published in American Agent & Broker