{"id":5183,"date":"2016-09-14T17:53:19","date_gmt":"2016-09-14T17:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.racinelaw.net\/?p=5183"},"modified":"2016-09-14T17:53:19","modified_gmt":"2016-09-14T17:53:19","slug":"employment-discrimination-case-idaho-employer-liable-punitive-damages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racinelaw.net\/blog\/employment-discrimination-case-idaho-employer-liable-punitive-damages\/","title":{"rendered":"In an employment discrimination case, when is an Idaho employer liable for punitive damages?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Joseph G. Ballstaedt<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Under federal law, when an employer intentionally discriminates against an employee based on the person\u2019s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, or disability, the employer can be liable for punitive damages. See <\/i><\/span><\/span>42 U.S.C. \u00a7 1981a(a<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>). The purpose of punitive damages is to punish the employer and deter future discrimination. Punitive damages are separate from monetary relief based on lost wages and also distinct from compensatory damages, which address emotional distress, pain and suffering, harm to reputation, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

An employee can obtain punitive damages if he or she proves the employer discriminated “with malice or with reckless indifference” to the employee\u2019s federal employment rights. <\/span><\/span>42 U.S.C. \u00a7 1981a(b)(1)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. Under this standard, it is not enough that the employer knows he is discriminating; rather, the employer must know that he may be violating the employee\u2019s legal rights. See Kolstad v. ADA<\/i>, 527 U.S. 526, 535 (1999). Put simply, this standard asks whether the employer knew certain conduct was against the law but did it anyway. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Continue Reading \u203a<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Joseph G. Ballstaedt Under federal law, when an employer intentionally discriminates against an employee based on the person\u2019s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, or disability, the employer can be liable for punitive damages. See 42 U.S.C. \u00a7 1981a(a). The purpose of punitive damages is to punish […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen is an employer liable for punitive damages?|Racine Olson<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Have you been discriminated against in the work place? 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