Governmental Tort Claims Act Wrongful Termination Settlement Limits
Summary
Oklahoma SB2084 passed, amending the Governmental Tort Claims Act to limit settlement awards for wrongful termination claims against government employers. The bill, sponsored by Senators Paxton, Hilbert, and Jett, passed the Senate 35-7 and the House Civil Judiciary Committee 7-2. The legislation specifies inclusion of certain damages while capping recovery in these employment tort claims against state and local government entities.
What changed
Oklahoma SB2084 modifies the Governmental Tort Claims Act to impose new limits on settlement awards in wrongful termination claims against government employers. The bill specifies what damages may be included while restricting the total recovery available to claimants. Key sponsors include Senator Lonnie Paxton (R), Representative Kyle Hilbert (R), and Representative Shane Jett (R).
Government employers and their legal counsel should review existing employment claims against public entities to assess impact under the new damage caps. Entities processing or defending wrongful termination lawsuits under the GTCA must account for the updated limitations. HR departments of government agencies should update settlement authority thresholds and litigation strategies accordingly.
What to do next
- Review pending wrongful termination claims against government entities for applicability under new damage caps
- Update litigation and settlement guidelines for employment tort claims under the Governmental Tort Claims Act
- Consult with legal counsel on impact to current employment dispute proceedings
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / Oklahoma / SB2084 Passed SB2084 Senate Bill Passed 2026-03-30
Governmental Tort Claims Act; limiting settlement awards for wrongful termination claims; providing for inclusion of certain damages. Effective date.
Bill Details
State Oklahoma
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber Senate
Official Source www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=s...
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Lonnie Paxton (Sen - R) Kyle Hilbert (Rep - R) Shane Jett (Rep - R)
Action History
2026-04-06 H Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass Civil Judiciary 2026-03-31 H Referred to Civil Judiciary 2026-03-31 H Second Reading referred to Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight 2026-03-30 H First Reading 2026-03-30 S Engrossed to House 2026-03-26 S Referred for engrossment 2026-03-26 S Measure passed: Ayes: 35 Nays: 7 2026-03-26 S General Order, Amended by Floor Substitute 2026-02-23 S Coauthored by Representative Hilbert (principal House author) 2026-02-19 S Placed on General Order 2026-02-17 S Reported Do Pass Judiciary committee; CR filed 2026-02-17 S Coauthored by Senator Jett 2026-02-03 S Second Reading referred to Judiciary 2026-02-02 S Authored by Senator Paxton 2026-02-02 S First Reading
Votes
2026-02-17 Senate: Judiciary Committee: DO PASS Yea: 6 Nay: 2 2026-03-26 Senate: THIRD READING Yea: 35 Nay: 7 2026-04-02 House: Civil Judiciary Committee: DO PASS Yea: 7 Nay: 2
Committee Referrals
2026-02-03 S Judiciary 2026-03-31 H Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight 2026-03-31 H Civil Judiciary
Amendments
2026-03-25 Senate Floor SB2084 (3-25-26) (PAXTON) FS FA1
Bill Text Versions
2026-01-15 Introduced 2026-02-18 Amended 2026-03-30 Engrossed Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
Named provisions
Related changes
Source
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get Government General alerts
Weekly digest. AI-summarized, no noise.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Oklahoma Legislative Events publishes new changes.