Average for Settling a Wage-and-Hour Lawsuit: $5.8 Million

Wage-and-hour litigation is the fastest-growing employment law threat employers face, according to a study by the Crowell & Moring law firm. It costs an average of $5.8 million to settle a wage-and-hour case, largely because so many are class-action lawsuits.

The firm warns that exempt/nonexempt misclassification cases will continue to be particularly troublesome because of more vigorous government enforcement.