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Orlando Business Journal: Tough Economy Prompts More Laid-Off Workers to Sue Former Employers

Orlando partner Tracey Ellerson was quoted in an October 31 Orlando Business Journal article, "Tough Economy Prompts More Laid-Off Workers to Sue Former Employers."

According to the article, with the weak economy forcing some companies to lay off workers, there is concern that lawsuits by laid off workers with grievances will increase. Florida has already seen a 22.2 percent increase in wage and hour complaints and challenges to employment contracts in the past five years.

According to the article, wage and hour disputes and the growing use of employment contracts with non-compete clauses forbidding employees from going to work for competitors are among the hottest sources of litigation.

"For the past four or five years, there has been a steady increase," said Ellerson, "There are more contracts being used than there were five or 10 years ago, and they're more common for high-level sales jobs, and in the health and technology industries, which are significant in Orlando."