Dallas Employment Discrimination

Your Rights Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the primary federal law that protects employees from sex discrimination and racial discrimination in the workplace. Title VII outlaws any sort of discrimination by employers based on an employee’s race or sex. Other federal, state and local laws prohibit these types of employment discrimination as well, including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Equal Pay Act of 1963. If your employer has discriminated against you because of your race, sex or disability, you may have a legal claim against your employer. Your Dallas employment attorney can advise you and assist you in bringing any valid discrimination claims against your employer. Contact Atkerson Law as quickly as possible after you have encountered any employment discrimination, and ensure that you receive the best advice possible regarding your employment law situation.

Title VII and Race Discrimination

Title VII precludes employers from discriminating against employees or prospective employees based on their race or national origin. Unlawful racial discrimination can take on many forms, and can be an overt action or more subtle in nature. For instance, an employer cannot use race as a basis for hiring, promoting or terminating an employee. Likewise, race cannot be a factor in an employer’s decision to not hire or promote an employee. Thus, an employer who has promoted a less-qualified employee over a better-qualified employee may have committed unlawful racial discrimination. Prohibited racial discrimination also may include paying employees of different races different wages, or offering different benefits. In addition to Title VII, many states have laws that outlaw racial discrimination as well. As a result, an employer could be liable for racially discriminatory acts under both state and federal law, which could make the employer responsible for paying damages to affected employees and substantial fines.

Title VII, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Sex Discrimination

Like racial discrimination, sex discrimination can take many forms. Sex discrimination occurs whenever an employer treats two similarly qualified employees differently based on their sexes, in terms of the hiring process, discipline or termination. Another type of sex discrimination takes the form of sexual harassment, which can be direct sexual overtures or actions between a supervisor and subordinate, or between two co-workers. Sexual harassment also can occur in the context of a hostile work environment, in that other employees create a sexually inappropriate workplace atmosphere that offends one or more employees. Title VII governs all of these sex discrimination situations. Therefore, an employer can be liable under Title VII for damages suffered by an employee who has suffered sex discrimination.

As only women can get pregnant and bear children, pregnancy discrimination falls within the purview of sex discrimination, as well. Not only does Title VII prohibit discrimination on the basis of pregnancy as a type of sex discrimination, but the Pregnancy Discrimination Act outlaws any discrimination on the basis of an employee’s pregnancy, childbirth or maternity leave, as well. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act provides recourse for employees who have experienced discrimination in this manner, along with Title VII.

The Americans with Disabilities Act and Disability Discrimination

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that bars employers from discriminating against employees or prospective employees on the basis of disability, or any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an employee’s major life activities, such as walking, talking, seeing and hearing. The ADA also requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, in order to allow those employees to complete their job duties. The application process, the hiring process, employee discipline and termination are all subject to the requirements of the ADA. As is the case with Title VII and similar antidiscrimination laws, the ADA sets forth penalties for employers who violate its terms. Any employee who has been the victim of disability discrimination may be entitled to damages from the employer who has violated the ADA.

If you have suffered discrimination by an employer based on your race, sex or disability, you may have a valid employment law claim against your employer under various state and federal laws for damages. Contact a Dallas employment lawyer at Atkerson Law for all of your employment law needs.

Atkerson Law provides experienced legal counsel to clients in Dallas, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Grapevine, Southlake, Lewisville, Carrollton, Coppell and Fort Worth.

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