WHEN CAN AN INDIVIDUAL FILE AN EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AND WHAT ARE THE REMEDIES?

An individual can file an employment discrimination lawsuit without a great deal of difficulty. Some employment discrimination laws require that there be an administrative process or an administrative remedy that’s exhausted such as going to the EOC or going to another government agency and having the agency first investigate the issue and then giving the employee clearance to file their law suit. Other anti discrimination laws, including those for example governing a race discrimination, do not require following this administrative process and a lawsuit can be filed immediately in court. The remedies the employee can recover are typically back wages, damages that would include emotional distress damages and sometimes front pay which would include future pay the employee would have gotten in the future, as well as punitive damages, which are punishment type of damages.