and Federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of specificed protected characteristics, both in Worcester and elswhere in the state. Under state and Federal law, both private and public employers in Worcester may be found liable for discrimination, depending on what type of trait originally prompted the discrimination.
How Does Employment Discrimination Occur?
Employment discrimination can occur if the employer treats an employee unfairly based on their membership in a class that is legally protected. 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 Worcester, Massachusetts.
How can Employment Discrimination be Proven in Massachusetts?
This is demonstrated 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 hold to be biased. Furthermore, an employer who fires someone or otherwise retaliates because of a discrimination lawsuit is in clear violation of the law.
Procedures for pursuing an employment discrimination claim are complicated, because they involve filing the claim with the corresponding agency. An attorney in Worcester, Massachusetts can assist you in filing on time, as well as pursuing other remedies that are available to you while your claim is pending.