Earlier this month, it was reported that the total number of COVID-19 related employment complaints filed in United States courts passed the 2,000 mark. In fact, December 2020 through March 2021 have realized the most activity since the beginning of the pandemic.
States with the greatest number of complaints filed are California (487), New Jersey (267), Florida (142), New York (137), Ohio (127), Texas (105), and Michigan (74). Further analysis of the data and trends show:
- 42% of all complaints filed in 2021 were initiated in California and New Jersey alone
- 6% of California complaints and 89% of New Jersey complaints have been filed in state court
- 3% of complaints include allegations of wrongful termination
- 1% of all new complaints have targeted the Healthcare industry
- 5% of all complaints filed in 2021 involve categories of Disability, Leave and Accommodation; Discrimination/Harassment; and Retaliation/Whistleblower
- Approximately 86 COVID-19 related employment class actions complaints have been filed across the United States since the beginning of the pandemic.
Certainly these statistics provide a wakeup call for employers who must face practical and legal employment challenges as they prepare to protect their companies against the inevitable risk of litigation.
If you have questions on COVID-19 related issues or other employment matters, please feel free to reach out to the NFC Attorney with whom you typically work with or call us at 973.665.9100.
