Both Illinois and the federal government have passed laws that prohibiting discrimination on the basis of particular protected characteristics. In Salem, 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?

If an employee is a member of a legally protected class 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 include: race, age, national origin, religion, familial status, and gender. Plaintiffs in Salem, Illinois are required to show that their employer treated them unfairly due to their protected status in order to prevail on an employment discrimination claim.

How can Employment Discrimination be Proven in Illinois?

This is shown upon finding a prior history of similar treatment of members of the same class, or upon testimony regarding the employer's statements that a reasonable person would understand to be biased. Moreover, an employer violates the law if they terminate a person's employment or otherwise retaliate in response to a discrimination lawsuit filed against them.

Procedures for filing an employment discrimination claim are complicated, because they involve filing the claim with the corresponding agency. An Salem, Illinois attorney can help you file on time, as well as pursue any further remedies that may be available to you while your case is pending.