University Employee Sues Former Employer for Discrimination Based on Race and Religion

Employment discrimination occurs when an employer fires you or refuses to hire you because of a protected characteristic, such as your race, religion, age, gender, or country of origin.  Just because your employer has not fired you, or has not even threatened to do so does not mean that the behavior of your supervisors and coworkers do not amount to employment discrimination, though.  Any adverse action counts as discrimination if the motivation or focus of it is a protected characteristic.  Adverse actions include denial of promotions and raises and reduction in pay, as well as changes you did not request to your work schedule, job duties, or work location.  A hostile work environment, where coworkers bully you and harass you because of your protected characteristic, also counts as discrimination, as long as the harassment is bad enough that it makes it difficult for you to do your job.  If your coworkers are bullying you about a protected characteristic such as your race or religion, contact a Los Angeles discrimination and harassment lawyer.

It Is a Hostile Work Environment When People Assume the Worst About You Because of Your Background and Your Religious Beliefs

Last summer, an employee of a university in Southern California filed a lawsuit against her former employer, alleging discrimination on the basis of race, sex, and religion.  The plaintiff is a Black woman who worked for the university from 2016 until 2021.  News sources that announced the lawsuit did not indicate the plaintiff’s role at the university, but her social media profiles say that she holds a Ph.D., so it is likely that she was either a faculty member or an administrator.

The trouble began almost as soon as she started her job.  She says that her coworkers thought of her as an “angry, black, religious woman.”  For example, a supervisor told the plaintiff that he is afraid of Black women.  Throughout the duration of her employment, coworkers accused her of being homophobic, because she is an evangelical Christian.  The plaintiff maintains that she never said or did anything homophobic during the time she worked for the university and that she does not hold homophobic beliefs.

News reports say that the lawsuit contains 27 pages of details about the discriminatory behavior the plaintiff experienced at her job.  The news sources did not, however, indicate the circumstances under which she left her job or the incident which motivated her to contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is a prerequisite to filing an employment discrimination lawsuit.  They also did not say the amount in damages that the plaintiff is seeking.  Employees who have faced discrimination at work can request damages in the amount of income they lost because of the discrimination.

Speak With a Los Angeles Employment Discrimination Lawyer

A Los Angeles employment discrimination lawyer can help you if you have faced discrimination based on your race or religion.  Contact Litigation, P.C. in Los Angeles, California to discuss your situation or call (424)284-2401.

Source:

10news.com/news/local-news/former-sdsu-employee-suing-for-racism-discrimination