Workplace Discrimination Lawyer Cincinnati, Ohio

When Should I Contact a Cincinnati, Ohio Workplace Discrimination Lawyer?

Cincinnati workplace discrimination attorneys with The Friedmann Firm are available to advise and represent employees and job applicants who are mistreated, harassed, or discriminated against for any reason that is prohibited by local, state and federal antidiscrimination laws. In order for an employee to have a remedy under the law, the harassment or discrimination must be based on an unlawful motive or reason.

Fortunately for Ohio employees, a wide array of antidiscrimination laws exists. These laws are codified by statute under familiar names such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

However, it is not necessary to dive into the technical laws in order to explain when grounds for taking legal action is warranted. Instead, we can outline the ways in the laws apply. If you recognize your situation while reading the rest of this article and think that one of our Cincinnati workplace discrimination lawyers can help, request a free and confidential consultation online or call us at (614) 610-9755.

Are You a Member of a Protected Class?

Nearly everyone can answer yes to this question. Statutes that designate protected classes of workers cover all the following characteristics:

• Race, regardless of what that race is;
• National origin;
• Sex, sexual orientation and gender identity;
• Religion;
• Age when older than 40;
• Disability, whether temporary or permanent and whether physical or intellectual;
• Pregnancy; and
• Military service, whether active duty, in the National Guards or Reserves, or a veteran.

Did You Experience Discrimination at Your Workplace?

The laws that prohibit workplace discrimination make it illegal for:

• An employer to refuse to hire, promote, or pay you fairly because you are a member of a protected class;
• A supervisor, manager, or coworker, to insult, harass, or abuse you because of your protected characteristic;
• An employer to retaliate against you for reporting some type of unlawful discrimination or harassment; and
• An employer to refuse consider making a reasonable accommodation for your disability, pregnancy, religion, or military service.

Employers are also required by law to do each of the following:

• Inform employees and job applicants of the rights to be free from discrimination,
• Establish rules and procedures for people to report workplace discrimination,
• Conduct good-faith investigations into reports of workplace discrimination, and
• Act to end confirmed instances of discrimination.

If you experienced any of the listed acts of discrimination and the problem was not adequately investigated and resolved, you may have grounds for filing a lawsuit. Certain other conditions may need to be met, however.

For instance, courts generally only consider harassing behavior legally actionable if it is frequent, severe, and pervasive. This means a single insult directed at your race, gender identity, or religion will not typically support grounds for a lawsuit. Also, courts will generally want to see evidence that you attempted to resolve the problem by going through your employer’s process for reporting, investigating, and addressing discrimination. If the harassment or discrimination is being done by the owner or direct supervisor/manager, it is important for the employee to document his or her opposition to the harassment in some way (i.e., email, text message, or recording where the employee opposes the unlawful conduct).

Speaking with an experienced Cincinnati workplace discrimination lawyer will clarify the steps you must take to build and strengthen your case. A Cincinnati workplace discrimination attorney will also be able to offer guidance on gathering evidence that discriminatory behavior occurred.

Did Your Employer Retaliate Against You for Reporting Workplace Discrimination?

A final, but very important, consideration is that managers and supervisors cannot legally penalize, abuse, or fire employees who report or raise concerns about workplace discrimination. It is also illegal for managers or supervisors to encourage or tolerate acts of retaliation by coworkers, such as sabotage or physical and verbal abuse.

Unfortunately, these forms of retaliation occur frequently in the workplace. For that reason, retaliation claims often stem from some type of unlawful discrimination or harassment.

Contact our Workplace Discrimination Lawyer in Cincinnati, Ohio

If you are experiencing workplace discrimination in or near Cincinnati, let us know if we can help. Call our Cincinnati workplace discrimination attorneys at 614.610.9755 or connect with us online to schedule a free, confidential consultation.