New York Watanabe Law Firm, Workplace Discrimination and Civil Rights
Workplace Discrimination and Harassment
Federal law makes it illegal to discriminate in the workplace based on race, age, religion, genetics, gender, disability, military service, among other reasons. If you have been discriminated or harassed in NY, you should contact a workplace discrimination law firm.
Federal law also protects people from sexual harassment in the workplace, and makes certain types of affirmative action procedures mandatory. Individual states have enacted civil rights and employment laws that expand federal law and cover areas not specified, such as sexual preference. An attorney practicing sexual harassment can advise you about the civil rights and employment laws you can expect your employer to follow.
Discrimination in the workplace can take place in hiring and firing decisions, promotion and promotion tools (such as discriminatory testing), pay, job duties and assignments, teasing, and improper language and expression (such as being exposed to pornography). Violation of federal law can also occur when someone retaliates because a worker complained about abuse of their federal rights.
Legal issues can also arise when someone has taken leave from employment under the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act or the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act. These acts specify appropriate leave and reinstatement policies for employers and employees, and if not followed by the employer are actionable.
It is important that someone who believes their workplace rights are being abused take action by calling a discrimination attorney in NYC. Time limits apply when seeking to redress violations of federal or state employment law. For that reason, it is important to seek legal representation if you feel your rights in the workplace have been infringed upon.
Recourse for Workplace Discrimination
There are a number of remedies available to an employee whose employer has violated the law. These include back and front pay with interest, reinstatement of the employee, special training for employees and award of attorney’s fees and court costs. In some cases compensatory, punitive, and liquidated damages can be awarded by the court.
Compensatory damages are monies designed to put the employee back to the position she or he was in before the violation. Compensatory damages can include back pay, back raises, an award of earned time if someone was not hired for a discriminatory reason, and out of pocket expenses associated with the discrimination. Punitive damages are monies awarded to punish an employer who acted in flagrant disregard of the law. Liquidated damages double compensatory damages and are awarded in cases of flagrant disregard for the law and under some Titles only.
This article was provided by the New York sexual harassment attorneys of the Watanabe Law Firm, www.watanabe-law.com, 212.486.7005.
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