Evidence of immigration status allowed on claim for future wage loss under Washington law

In a case of first impression, Washington Court of Appeals, Division I, held yesterday that a plaintiff's immigration status may be admissible where plaintiff claims damages for future wage loss.

The case, Salas v. Hi-Tech Erectors, involved an injured worker's claims against a scaffold supplier for damages caused when the worker slipped from a scaffold ladder at a construction site.  Plaintiff entered the United States on a valid visa, which had since expired, and he had applied for citizenship.  Plaintiff sought to exclude evidence of his immigration status at trial.  The trial court found that if he chose to pursue his claim for impairment of future income, his status as a non-legal resident would be allowed as probative as to the extent of the future impairment.  The Court of Appeals affirmed, stating "we conclude that evidence of a party's illegal immigration status should generally be allowed only when the defendant is prepared to show relevant evidence that the plaintiff, because of that status, is unlikely to remain in this country throughout the period of claimed lost future income."

In the opinion the court discussed differing holdings from several other states.  Look for this and related immigration status issues in other appellate court cases across the country.