Boston Discrimination Lawyer
Newton, Massachusetts, Sexual Harassment Attorney
At the law firm of Russell & Associates LLC, we handle all types of discrimination and sexual harassment cases for clients in Boston, Newton, Dedham and throughout the surrounding areas. Employers are bound by federal laws that prohibit discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. Contact Team Russell today to further discuss these or other employment law matters.
Discrimination
- Pregnancy discrimination: Women who are pregnant, or men who request to take leave for the birth or adoption of a child, are often the target of discrimination. Instead of encouraging employees and being supportive of families, they often take retaliatory actions against pregnant individuals, including termination and/or demotion. This form of discrimination is prohibited by federal law.
- Discrimination due to the request for FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) time off: Have you been denied your right to take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act? Is your ability to care for yourself or your family hampered due to your employer's noncompliance with FMLA? The federal Family and Medical Leave Act requires covered employers to provide eligible employees non-paid leave for: child birth/adoption, serious health conditions, and the care of immediate relatives with serious health conditions.
- Gender discrimination: Gender discrimination covers a broad range of illegal activity, but at its core is the disparate treatment of similarly situated male and female workers because of their sex. Although the great majority of gender discrimination claims are brought by women, men too can be victims of gender discrimination. The question is whether the challenged employment decision or practice was based on the employee's gender.
- Disability discrimination: Have employers refused to hire you because of an actual or perceived disability? Has your employer based employment decisions on your qualified disability? Has your employer refused to reasonably accommodate a known disability? The federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodation to eligible employees suffering from a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. The ADA also prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. Recently, Congress amended the ADA to return the law to its original intent. Employment discrimination based on disability is prohibited under both state and federal law. An employer has a responsibility to reasonably accommodate individuals with qualified disabilities under the law. Reasonable accommodation may include making working facilities easily accessible, modifying a job or restructuring work schedules to fit an employee's needs.
- Race discrimination or national origin discrimination: Have employers refused to hire or promote you because of your national origin or foreign accent? Has the color of your skin negatively impacted your employment? Have you lost your job or been denied a promotion because of perceived difficulties in communicating in English? If your race, national origin or foreign accent has affected your employment, you may have recourse. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal for employers to base terms, conditions and benefits of employment on race, color or national origin.
- Other types of discrimination: We also handle cases involving age discrimination.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment consists of unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, either physical or verbal, that creates a hostile working environment. Federal law equally prohibits opposite-sex and same-sex harassment as long as the conduct is based on the gender of the victim.
An employee who is subjected to severe and/or persistent sexual behavior in the workplace may bring a claim of sexual harassment due to a hostile work environment. This kind of behavior includes sexual comments or sexist comments, sexual jokes, propositions, unwanted sexual advances, lewd remarks or insults and more. Sexual harassment can also include repeated verbal overtures, comments about clothing and dress or inappropriate touch. If an employee believes and can reasonably show that the work environment is hostile or abusive, the employer may be held liable for violating sexual harassment laws.
It is important for an employee who believes that he or she is being harassed or discriminated against to contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible. Reporting the harassment or discrimination to a superior is always recommended when possible, but in many cases the superior is the one responsible for the harassment or discrimination and will obviously not be receptive to complaints. Our lawyers are on the side of the victims of sexual harassment and discrimination, helping to protect your rights if you have been harassed or discriminated against at work.
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Get in Touch With a Boston Discrimination Attorney Today
Contact Team Russell in the Newton, Dedham, Waltham, Brookline and Boston metro area by phone at 781-559-0152 locally or 866-828-1957 toll free, or send our trial lawyers an e-mail to schedule an appointment.
