Both Illinois and the federal government have passed laws that prohibiting discrimination on the basis of specific protected characteristics. In Palos Heights, government and private organizations may be held liable for discrimination, depending on what type of trait the unfair treatment was originally based on.

How Does Employment Discrimination Occur?

If an employee is a member of a legally protected category and their employer treats them unfairly because of that, the employer will be held liable for employment discrimination. Some traits which employers are not allowed to evaluate employees with are: race, age, national origin, religion, familial status, and gender. The plaintiff must prove that their employer intended to treat them unfairly because of their protected status in order to prevail on a discrimination claim in Palos Heights, Illinois.

How can Employment Discrimination be Proven in Illinois?

This may be demonstrated if the employer has treated others of the same status similarly, or when people testify to particular statements made by the employer that would indicate bias when heard by a reasonable person. Additionally, employers are in clear violation of the law when they fire someone or retaliate against them because they filed a discrimination lawsuit.

Employment discrimination claims have complicated filing procedures, because they involve pursuing the claim with specific agencies. Palos Heights, Illinois has many lawyers available to assist you in filing in a timely fashion, and they can also help you pursue any remedies that might be available to you while your case is being processed.