Opinion ID: 2175707
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Heading: Duty to seek employment.

Text: Appellants assert that they have a right to receive a credit against the wages owed Klingler and Schilling for that period of suspension in which Klingler and Schilling did not make reasonable and diligent efforts to obtain other employment and thereby mitigate his damages. This court has consistently recognized the rule that a discharged employee has a duty to seek other employment, and that the employer has the right to a credit to the extent that the employee obtains work and earns wages, or might have done so. Schiller v. Keuffel & Esser Co. (1963), 21 Wis. 2d 545, 552, 553, 124 N. W. 2d 646; Mitchell v. Lewensohn (1947), 251 Wis. 424, 432, 29 N. W. 2d 748; Gauf v. Milwaukee Athletic Club (1912), 151 Wis. 333, 336, 139 N. W. 207. The Wisconsin cases have further held that a discharged or suspended employee is not obligated to seek or accept other employment of a different or inferior kind in order to minimize damages. Schiller v. Keuf fel & Esser Co., supra, page 553; Mitchell v. Lewensohn, supra, page 432; State ex rel. Schmidt v. District No. 2 (1941), 237 Wis. 186, 191, 295 N. W. 36. This court has held that the burden of establishing the lack of reasonable and diligent efforts by the employees to seek other employment and the availability of such employment is on the employer. Schiller v. Keuffel & Esser Co., supra, page 553; Barker v. Knickerbocker Life Ins. Co. (1869), 24 Wis. 630, 638. Thus, the question of whether such opportunities did exist is primarily a question of fact and as such relates not to the existence of a legal duty on the part of Klingler and Schilling, but to the sufficiency of the evidence proving a violation of that duty. The record indicates that prior to their suspensions, Klingler and Schilling did outside work: Klingler in the fields of excavating and snow removal; and Schilling in the field of roofing. Because of this previous employment experience, we do not hold that, as a matter of law, they were only obligated to seek employment in the field of police work in an effort to mitigate damages.