In New York State, employees who feel they are being discriminated against by their superiors need to know when it is time to ask for help. Hiring an attorney – or at the very least, consulting with a legal professional who understands how civil rights law works in NYC – is of the utmost importance in these types of situations.
According to Eric Sanders of The Sanders Firm, P.C., people who feel that they are being discriminated against by their employers have a number of different options and avenues to explore when it comes to finding a legal remedy.
First and foremost, Sanders says that people should know that New York is a FEPA state, which stands for Fair Employment Practices Area. That means that the state of New York and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, have entered into what is known as a work-share agreement.
When someone in New York State files a Title VII charge of discrimination, they are able to file their case with the federal government and also file an action with the New York State Division of Human Rights at the same time. Sanders, who is a professional that specializes in civil rights law in NYC, says this would be the first administrative step that a person would be advised to take if he wanted to file a lawsuit against his employer under Title VII.
Administratively, a person filing a Title VII claim has to agree to allow up to six months or 180 days for the agency to investigate the claims of discrimination. If those claims are not resolved, then a person has the right to sue his or her employer.
As a civil rights law expert in NYC, Sanders is frequently asked to handle these types of cases. He cautions, however, that civil rights cases and Title VII cases in particular can be very complex. A legal scholar can spend hours or even days talking about the merits of various Title VII cases, however Sanders says that most people do not have time to learn the intricate details of how Title VII works. Rather, most people just want to know whether they are legally being discriminated against, and if so, what they can do to make it stop.
If a person believes that he or she is being discriminated against by an employer in New York State, Sanders says there are a number of avenues to explore. Attorneys are available to help people decide whether they have a case and if so, whether that case should be filed in federal or state court.
This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.