Specific characteristics are protected against discrimination under both and federal laws in Bluefield and other communities of Virginia. In Bluefield, government and private organizations can be held liable for discrimination, depending on what type of trait the unfair treatment was initially based on.

How Does Employment Discrimination Occur?

Employment discrimination occurs when an employer treats you wrongly because of your membership in a legally protected class. Employers can not base their evaluations of you on specific traits including religion, race, age, gender, national origin, and familial status. In order for a claim of employment discrimination to be successful, a Bluefield, Virginia plaintiff must show that his (or her) employer actively intended to treat him differently because of his protected status.

How can Employment Discrimination be Proven in Virginia?

This can be proved when there is a history of the employer treating members of the class similarly, or if witnesses testify about the employer's statements which would constitute bias as understood by a reasonable person. Furthermore, employers are in clear violation of the law when they fire someone or retaliate against them because they filed a discrimination lawsuit.

Procedures for filing an employment discrimination claim are complicated, because they involve filing the claim with the corresponding agency. Bluefield, Virginia has many lawyers available to help 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.