Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids employers from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Title VI is very similar, but applies to any institution that receives federal funding, which almost all colleges and universities do.
If you believe that your employer has discriminated against you under any of these grounds, you should strongly consider hiring our knowledgeable employment discrimination lawyer. Contact Allen Harris today so we can evaluate your situation and determine whether you have a valid case going forward.
Do I Need an Employment Discrimination Lawyer?
Title VII or Title VI cases frequently arise in the academic context over tenure disputes, where a university department discriminates against junior professors on the basis of sex, color, religion, or national origin.
That being said, you do not have to be a professor to have a valid claim under Title VII. To the extent you are an employee as staff, or even as a student employed as a teaching assistant or research assistant, you are also protected by Title VII and Title VI. Furthermore, recent precedents have extended Title VII to protect employees from discrimination based on gender identity. In addition, an amendment in 1978 added protection against discrimination on the basis of pregnancy.
In many states, state laws offer even greater protections than federal law and can also strengthen your claims.
Filing a Discrimination Claim
If you believe you have been discriminated against as an employee, you have 180 days to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (though you may have up to 300 days if state or local anti-discriminatory laws give you strengthened protections). Unlike claims brought under Title IX or Title VI, you must start Title VII (covering employees) with the EEOC.
In some cases, the Office for Civil Rights will handle a Title VII case, but usually only in the context of other claims exclusively within their jurisdictions. You may also have remedies with the state commissions on human rights, which exist under various names in every state as a parallel to the federal EEOC. Once the EEOC or a state agency concludes its administrative investigation, you can file a federal lawsuit within 90 days. You can also ask for the right to sue before they complete their investigation.
Contact Our Employment Discrimination Lawyer
Though we would like to believe that discrimination on the basis of race, sex, or otherwise is eliminated from the workplace in today’s day and age, the unfortunate reality is that this is simply untrue. Therefore, the bottom line is that if you find yourself in this situation, you should take action at once, and our firm is here to help. Contact Allen Harris today to schedule your initial consultation.