The Federal government as well as the state of Washington have enacted laws which make it illegal to discriminate based on defined protected characteristics. Depending on what type of trait prompted the discriminatory treatment, government employers and even private organizations in University Place may be held liable under various state and federal laws.

How Does Employment Discrimination Occur?

An employer will be deemed guilty of employment discrimination if they treat an employee unfairly because they belong to a category that is legally protected. Some traits which employers are not allowed to evaluate employees with include: race, age, national origin, religion, familial status, and gender. Plaintiffs in University Place, Washington 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 Washington?

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. Furthermore, 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 University Place, Washington lawyer can help you file in a timely manner, and while your case is pending, they can help you in pursuing any available remedies.