A job reinstatement offer is assessed without weighing dismissal evidence
Offer of reinstatement. To classify it as made in good faith and, where applicable, determine whether the burden of proof shifts, evidence on whether the dismissal that gave rise to the labor case occurred must not be assessed.
Official heading (Spanish): OFRECIMIENTO DE TRABAJO. PARA CALIFICARLO DE BUENA FE Y, EN SU CASO, DETERMINAR LA PROCEDENCIA DE LA REVERSIÓN DE LA CARGA DE LA PRUEBA, NO DEBEN VALORARSE LOS MEDIOS PROBATORIOS RELACIONADOS CON LA EXISTENCIA O INEXISTENCIA DEL DESPIDO QUE DIO ORIGEN AL JUICIO LABORAL.
The ruling
Collegiate Circuit Courts disagreed on whether evidence on the existence of the dismissal must be weighed to classify a reinstatement offer as made in good faith and shift the burden of proof. The Regional Plenary Court ruled, in binding precedent (jurisprudencia), that it must not, in first-dismissal cases: the offer is assessed on its own terms and circumstances; dismissal evidence belongs to the merits.
Our take
The reinstatement offer remains a powerful tool for employers, and this precedent puts it in order. Good faith depends on the offer's own elements and the circumstances surrounding it. The court must not prejudge who is right about the dismissal. For companies, this makes the drafting of the offer decisive. An error in salary or position turns it into bad faith, and the burden of proof does not shift. The court also warns that the offer must not be a mere procedural tactic.
What to do
- Make the offer on the same terms, salary, position and schedule established in the case.
- Ensure the company's conduct is consistent with a genuine intent to reinstate.
- If offering reinstatement, prepare the logistics in case the employee accepts.
Details
- Court
- Regional Plenary Courts
- Type
- Binding precedent (jurisprudencia)
- Identifier
- PR.P.T.CN. J/14 L (12a.)
- Digital registry
- 2032614
- Published
- September 11, 2026
- Area
- Labor and social security
- View official source ↗
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Prepared by Artegia for information only; not legal advice. Headings in English are unofficial translations. The official text is the one published in the Semanario Judicial de la Federación or the TFJA journal.