Philadelphia PA Employment Discrimination Attorney
Federal and state statues, including, but not limited to, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, protect employees from unlawful discrimination based on the following:
Race;- Natural Origin;
- Religion;
- Skin Color
- Gender;
- Disability; and
- Age
If an employee experiences discrimination based on any of the above-listed classifications he or she has a limited time period, typically between 180 and 300 days, to file a discrimination claim with a federal or state agency for further investigation.
In employment discrimination claims the employee has the initial burden of showing he/she suffered an adverse employment action as a result of unlawful discrimination. If an employee can establish this burden then an employer must show it had a legitimate business reason for the adverse employment action taken against an employee. If a legitimate business reason is established an employee can still succeed on his/her claim if he/she is able to demonstrate that the reason proffered by the employer is really a pretext to cover up the unlawful discrimination.
If an employee is the victim of unlawful discrimination he or she may be entitled to receive compensatory and punitive damages, back pay, benefits, attorney’s fees and costs. The employer may also be required to hire, reinstate and/or promote the employee.
If you are an employer or employee dealing with problems of unlawful discrimination in the workplace, please contact this office for further assistance.