CINCINNATI EMPLOYMENT RETALIATION ATTORNEY

As an employee, you are guaranteed certain rights under both state and federal labor laws. You are entitled to exercise these rights without the fear of retribution from your employer. Multiple state and federal laws are designed to protect you as the employee from employer retaliation. However, that doesn’t mean your employer will follow these laws. If you are facing employer retaliation, you need to speak with an experienced Cincinnati employment retaliation attorney as soon as possible.

At Coffman Legal, our legal team is well-versed in employment laws and how employers illegally retaliate against employees. For example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits covered employers from retaliating against any employee who reports discrimination, files charges, testifies, or participates in an investigation against their employer. You should not be punished for reporting any misconduct or exercising your legal rights under federal or state labor regulations. To learn whether you have a valid claim for retaliation against your employer, contact our office to schedule an initial consultation.

Protected Employee Activities in Ohio

Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the employment regulations in place give employees protection against employers taking action against them for asserting their rights. That includes the right to be free from workplace harassment and discrimination. An employee who asserts their rights is engaged in a “protected activity.” Here is a look at some protected activities that are discussed under some federal or state employment laws:

• Reporting workplace discrimination;
• Filing an EEO complaint;
• Requesting to be accommodated for a disability;
• Serving as a witness to another employee’s complaint; and
• Reporting or resisting workplace harassment.

For example, if you have participated in another employee’s proceeding, you are protected. If you file a claim for retaliatory behavior, employers have the burden to show they had a legitimate reason for their actions and that it is non-retaliatory in nature. If your employer meets their burden, you, as the employee, must explain it was just a pretext for the decision. You are also protected from retaliation if you oppose what you believe to be unlawful practices. In this situation, you don’t need to show the opposed practice was illegal to be afforded protection. You only need to have a reasonable belief that you were opposing illicit actions by your employer.

What Is Deemed Employee Retaliation?

To successfully prove retaliation, you must be able to tie your participation to a protected activity or their opposition to unlawful conduct with some type of adverse action your employer has taken against you. Examples of possible adverse employment actions under retaliation can include:

• Demotion,
• Termination,
• Loss of benefits or pay,
• Workplace harassment,
• Denial of promotion, or
• Increased scrutiny.

It’s not uncommon for employers to try and conceal their retaliatory behavior using pretextual reasoning. That means coming up with a false reason for the action they took to disguise their actual motives.

Contact a Cincinnati Employment Retaliation Lawyer Today

If you need assistance with pursuing an unlawful retaliation claim in Ohio, please contact Coffman Legal today to schedule an initial consultation. We can help you hold an employer accountable for illegal retaliation so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.