The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) exists to enforce federal laws that make discrimination illegal in the workplace. The commission accepts any and all complaints of employment discrimination and consequently conducts investigations on the workplaces in question. Read on to discover whether you need to retain the services of a seasoned New York discrimination lawyer at Bell Law Group for your EEOC claim.
Under what circumstances might I submit a claim with the EEOC?
To reiterate, the EEOC investigates complaints of job discrimination. So, you may feel inclined to submit a complaint with the EEOC if you have been made a victim of any of the following circumstances:
- You have been made a victim of race discrimination by an employer, which ultimately led to your being rejected for a job position you applied for.
- You have been made a victim of religious discrimination by an employer, which ultimately led to your being wrongfully terminated.
- You have been made a victim of sex discrimination by an employer, which ultimately led to your being denied equal pay.
- You have been made a victim of pregnancy discrimination by your employer, which ultimately led to your being denied a promotion.
- You have been made a victim of sexual harassment by a manager, coworker, client, or third-party vendor, and your job security was threatened after speaking out.
Do I need to retain the services of a lawyer for my EEOC claim?
Firstly, the complaint that you may submit to the EEOC is specifically called a “Charge of Discrimination.” With this, the EEOC requires that you file your Charge of Discrimination before you file a discrimination lawsuit against your employer. What’s more, the EEOC holds that you have 180 days, from the date on which your discrimination occurred, to submit your complaint. Or, you may have 300 days if your incident is protected by New York State or New York City anti-discrimination law. This is all to say that a proficient New York discrimination lawyer will help ensure that these separate claims are filed at the appropriate times.
Additionally, a lawyer will ensure that you fill out your Charge of Discrimination with all the necessary information and evidence. Such necessary information includes the following:
- Your name, address, email, and phone number.
- Your employer’s name, address, email, and phone number.
- The number of employees that work for your employer.
- A brief description of the discriminatory incident.
- The date on which the discriminatory incident occurred.
- The protected class that was discriminated against (i.e., race, religion, sex, pregnancy status, etc).
- Your signature.
All in all, you must not question your instinct to retain the services of a competent New York employee rights lawyer. Our team at Bell Law Group will work to determine which legal option is best for you to take.
