EmploymentFirm News

B&B Partner Dave Belfort Chairs MCLE Seminar on Damages

By March 7, 2014 No Comments

On February 28, 2014, Bennett & Belfort, P.C., Partner David Belfort chaired  the MCLE New England Seminar, Proving and Valuing Damages in Employment Cases.

Before both a live and webcast audience, Attorney Belfort introduced the topic with a review of the categories of damages available in employment cases.  Mr. Belfort discussed compensatory damages, such as front and back pay, as well as emotional distress and lost benefits.   He also reviewed the statutory frameworks that give rise to multiple damages, punitive damages and the recovery of attorneys’ fees.

Mr. Belfort was joined by a distinguished panel that included neutrals Honorable Peter M. Lauriat, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court and MCAD Senior Hearing Officer Eugenia Guastaferri.  Mr Belfort’s colleagues, Employee advocate Inga S. Bernstein of Zalkind, Duncan & Bernstein, and management-side attorney Scott J. Connolly of Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton provided excellent explanation and practical practice pointers from their respective advocacy perspectives.

The seminar covered a diverse set of damages issues and perspectives including relative to: case valuation, the use of financial and medical experts, strategies for proving emotional distress, the impact of liability evidence, managing client expectations, and the attorney’s fee petition.   The neutrals provided insightful tips “from the bench” including practice pointers and lessons gleaned from advocates that have appeared before them.  The webcast of this program is available through MCLE (https://www.mcle.org/program-calendar/program-catalog.cfm?product_code=2130252P01.)

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The MCLE Panel:  Dave Belfort, Inga Bernstein, Hearings Officer Eugenia Guastaferri,

Scott Connolly, and the Honorable Peter Lauriat.