Gurnee Employment Discrimination Attorney

Employee Rights Attorney in Lake County, Illinois

Employment discrimination is fairly common. While it is not always obvious and may not even be directly intended, it is always wrong. Responsible employers should take steps to ensure fairness in their hiring policies as well as in distributing promotions, raises, and work duties to existing employees. Proving an employment discrimination case can be difficult - many employers will attempt to present a reason for not hiring, not promoting, or firing a certain employee that sounds objective and unrelated to the employee's membership in a protected class. Showing that the employer has in fact discriminated against an employee based on traits like race, disability, or national origin may take a careful investigation by a skilled attorney.

Brady Cole Trial Lawyers is committed to protecting the rights of workers and job applicants. Our dedicated attorneys will do all we can to investigate suspected employment discrimination and gather any evidence that could support your case. We take these cases very seriously. When you bring an employment discrimination claim, you are protecting not just yourself, but all further parties the employer in question would have discriminated against in the future. These cases are about dismantling systemic unlawful discrimination.

Who Is a Member of a Protected Class in Illinois?

In truth, everyone belongs to a protected class because everyone has a race, a sex, and a national origin. In Illinois, it is illegal to discriminate against an employee or applicant based on their:

• Race
• Color
• Sex
• National origin
• Religion
• Disability
• Age
• Gender identity
• Pregnancy
• Sexual orientation
• Citizenship status (except that employers may verify that the person is lawfully permitted to work in the U.S)
• Genetic information
• Status as an active duty member of the military or veteran, including status upon discharge
• Arrest record, unless the arrest led to a criminal conviction
• Status as a victim of domestic violence
• Marital status
• Having an order of protection as a victim of domestic violence or harassment
• Lack of a permanent home address or use of a shelter as an address

Employers may also not discriminate based on a single status or any combination of these statuses. For example, an employer may try to discriminate against a person who is pregnant and identifies as a man, claiming that pregnant men are not specifically protected. Because both pregnancy status and gender identity are protected, this would likely still be considered discrimination.

Types of Discriminatory Actions by Employers

Acts of discrimination may pertain to:

• Refusing to hire a person because they are a member of a protected class, such as not hiring a Black applicant who is objectively more qualified than the white applicant who was hired.
• Not promoting people who belong to a certain class, or only promoting those who do belong to a certain class, such as only promoting men to management positions.
• Firing an employee for no real reason except that they have a protected characteristic, such as dismissing an employee who becomes pregnant, gets married, or develops a disability requiring reasonable accommodations.
• Demanding information related to protected status during the application process, such as requiring employees to disclose their religion before extending a job offer under the guise of "needing to know which holidays they cannot work."
• Refusing reasonable accommodation, such as by demanding that a specific employee work on a religious holiday or not allowing a blind employee to bring a guide dog where it is safe to do so.
• Harassment or creating a hostile work environment, such as by failing to prevent situations where employees use racial or gendered slurs or mock an employee for their membership in a protected class.
• Assigning work duties disfavorably based on protected status, such as by requiring only female workers to perform cleaning duties or serve refreshments during meetings.

As a general rule, if an employee or applicant is treated unfairly or disfavorably because of their membership in a protected class, employment discrimination has likely taken place. Employees who have experienced discrimination may have a variety of legal options for addressing the harm they have suffered. They may be able to receive compensation for financial losses they have experienced because of discrimination, as well as other ways they have been affected.

Contact a Gurnee, IL Employment Discrimination Lawyer

If you are experiencing employment discrimination, Brady Cole Trial Lawyers can help. Our skilled Lake County employee rights attorneys will do all we can to stop the discrimination and recover financial damages on your behalf. Contact us at 847-752-9639 for a complimentary consultation to learn more about how we can help you protect your rights.