Employment Discrimination

What is unlawful employment discrimination, really?
At its core, discrimination at work means you’re being treated differently than your coworkers. But here’s the catch—not all discrimination is illegal. It only crosses the line when it’s because of something the law protects, like your race, gender, religion, age (if you’re 40 or older), disability, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, or even genetic information.

Wait, so some discrimination is legal?
Yep, as odd as it sounds. Employers can legally treat you differently for all sorts of things—as long as it’s not tied to one of those protected traits. For example, it’s legal (though not nice) to treat someone differently because they love running. But it’s not okay to treat someone unfairly because they’re Muslim or Black.

Can my boss retaliate if I speak up?
They can try—but that would likely be unlawful retaliation, which is also illegal. If your employer punishes you for reporting discrimination, you may have a second legal claim on top of the first.

Does it matter if I’m an “at-will” employee?
Not at all. Even if you’re employed at-will (which most people are), your employer still can’t break the law. Discrimination and retaliation protections apply to all employees.

How can I prove it’s happening?
There are a few ways. If you have emails, texts, or comments that clearly show bias, that’s strong evidence. Otherwise, we look at how other employees were treated. For example, if you were fired for being late but younger coworkers weren’t, that could point to age discrimination.

What can I get if I win my case?
If discrimination is proven, you may be entitled to lost wages, emotional distress damages, attorney’s fees, and even punitive damages if the conduct was especially harmful.

I think this is happening to me. Can you help?
Absolutely. We’ve helped many employees take action—and win.

What’s next?
Let’s chat. Contact us and let’s talk about what’s going on. You don’t have to navigate this alone.