There are federal laws which prohibit job discrimination, including the Equal Pay Act of 1963, The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to name a few.
There are many reasons why a person would file a discrimination lawsuit, for example, if they are paid less than someone of the opposite sex who had the same job before them. Perhaps you feel that you were denied a promotion or you were harassed because of your age, color, religious beliefs or nationality.
According to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces civil rights laws against discrimination, you have up to 180 days to file your complaint, although extensions are granted in certain circumstances. You can file in person, online (at ocr@edu.gov) or by mail.
You will need to find out all the details regarding where to file your complaint; for example, if you feel that your rights have been violated regarding equal pay, then you might not have a time limit on filing a claim, but you still need to submit a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint (EEOC) agency. You can find the nearest EEOC office in a U.S. government directory or by calling 1-800-669-4000. You will need to have a paper that states the date of the incident, your name, address and telephone number as well as those of your employer, and a written description of what happened. They will review your claim to see whether it merits investigation. The EEOC can settle a charge if both parties reach an agreement, or the charge could be dismissed if the agency does not find that a violation has occurred. In that case, you have up to 90 days to file a lawsuit.
If the EEOC determines that the violation has taken place, then it may file suit in federal court.
Civil rights laws include schools, so if your complaint is related to college admission, financial aid or any other aspect of discrimination in an academic setting, then you should file your complaint with the OCR.
Those who believe that they were discriminated against by an employer who only asks for employment verification from people of one particular race, might have grounds for a lawsuit. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 was established to help prevent violations of this law by employers who discriminate against their employees due to nationality, or give preferential treatment to U.S. citizens.
You can learn more about your rights and the IRCA at the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices at 1-800-255-7688 or online, at www.usdoj.gov/crt/osc.