Staten Island Employment Lawyers

Experienced Workplace Rights Attorneys for Staten Island Residents

At Phillips & Associates, our Staten Island employment lawyers believe that every employee is entitled to work in a job free from discrimination. Employment discrimination may be humiliating and stressful, resulting in lower productivity. Many people feel that they must put up with discrimination because they need their paycheck, they fear being blackballed from a particular industry, or they may not realize that what is happening to them is illegal. However, both federal and New York laws protect workers from many different types of discrimination and harassment. You are entitled to bring a lawsuit if any of these laws cover your employer and the type of misconduct that you are experiencing. Our workplace rights attorneys provide aggressive representation to plaintiffs filing claims based on sexual harassment and all other forms of employment discrimination. We also can assist you with any dispute related to a wage and hour violation, a severance agreement, retaliation, or wrongful termination, hostile work environment among other matters.

Seeking Compensation Through an Employment Discrimination Claim

Federal, state, and local laws prohibit discrimination based on many different categories, including but not limited to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, age, and genetic information. Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, for example, an employer is not permitted to discriminate against an otherwise qualified employee based on that employee's history of disability or the employer's belief that an employee has a qualifying mental or physical impairment.

Even people who are not actually disabled are protected when an employer takes an adverse employment action because it believes that the applicant or employee is disabled. State and local laws tend to provide greater protection for an even broader range of people, such as employees who work for small businesses.

If your employer has violated any of these laws, it may be worth consulting an experienced attorney about filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or another agency and bringing a lawsuit for damages. The purpose of most damages is to put you back in the place in which you would have been if it were not for your employer's discriminatory actions. Damages may include emotional damages, back pay and either reinstatement or front pay. If an employer behaves egregiously, punitive damages may be available.

One of the types of damages for which you may be eligible if you win an employment discrimination lawsuit is back pay, which includes wages and salary, fringe benefits, and prejudgment interest from the time of the employer's illegal act that caused you to suffer economic harm. Under Title VII, you may be able to recover back pay damages that were suffered more than two years before you filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC if you allege what is known as a pattern or practice claim and you tried to mitigate your damages by seeking other employment.

Contact a Knowledgeable Employment Lawyer on Staten Island

If you suffer the consequences of inappropriate conduct at your job, you should not delay in consulting a Staten Island employment attorney about your options as soon as possible. We recognize the importance of acting swiftly to hold an employer accountable and get your life back on track. Contact Phillips & Associates at (866) 229-9441 or use our online form to schedule a free consultation with a wrongful termination lawyer or seek guidance with another employment dispute.