Atlanta Employment Attorney - Georgia Employment Law
Dozier Law Group has extensive experience in every aspect of employment law, including claims for discrimination on the job based on race, skin color, sex (gender), pregnancy, ethnicity, age and disability. Whatever your issue, we can address your concerns and advise you as to your options and the best course of action based on your particular situation.
Even though federal and state employment laws prohibit employers from treating employees differently on the job based on certain protected characteristics, discrimination at work is still an ongoing problem for many workers. Companies are made up of individuals, and managers and supervisors often act on their own negative stereotypes or prejudices in making decisions that affect employees in terms of discipline, pay, work assignments and job status. Some of the most common types of job discrimination occur when employers show bias in hiring, promoting, disciplining or compensating employees due to characteristics such as race, gender, ethnicity, age or disability.
To bring a cause of action for unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation in a court of law you must first file a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), an agency of the federal government, within 180 days of the unlawful action. If you fail to file a timely Charge of Discrimination with the EEOC, you lose the right to bring such a claim in state or federal court.
Dozier Law Group regularly represents employees by filing EEOC Charges on their behalf and working with them to resolve the matter, if possible, through settlement negotiations with the employer and EEOC personnel prior to filing a lawsuit in court.
If there is credible independent evidence which supports a claim for discrimination, harassment or retaliation (supporting witnesses, documents, company records, etc.), your employer may want to resolve the matter through mediation at the EEOC rather than incur the expense of defending against a lawsuit in court. Defending lawsuits against valid claims can be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive for employers. However, no matter how valid the claim or strong the supporting evidence is, employers frequently choose to oppose EEOC Charges for various reasons. As a result, there is no guarantee that your Charge can be resolved through the EEOC process, and you may have to file a lawsuit to obtain relief. Lawsuits can take anywhere from 18-36 months if a case gets heard by a jury.
If you are considering filing a Charge of Discrimination with the EEOC based on what you believe to be unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation by your employer, call Dozier Law Group or contact Dozier Law Group by e-mail.