Race Discrimination

I represent employees who have been discriminated against on the basis of race and color, in violation of Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; New York State and City law. The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race.

If your employer has based an employment decision on your race, rather then on your job performance or on your qualifications to do a job, he or she has engaged in race discrimination. Race discrimination can also occur if your employer is maintaining policies that are neutral but that are not related to job qualifications, and tend to disproportionately exclude racial minorities.

Discrimination takes various forms, including discrimination regarding hiring, termination, layoff, promotion, compensation, job training, or any other term, condition, or privilege of employment. An employer may not discriminate against an employee because of stereotypes and assumptions about abilities, traits, or the performance of racial groups.

It is also illegal for an employer to create or allow a hostile work environment based on an employee’s race. This can occur when supervisors use racial slurs in the presence of or directed towards a minority, or when the company knows of and tolerates such conduct by co-workers. The employee must prove that the racial slurs or other conduct created an environment that is intimidating and/or hostile to a degree that it interferes with the employee’s work performance.

If you believe that you are being discriminated against at work because of your race or color, you should be aware that laws exist to protect you from unlawful racial discrimination. I would be pleased to meet and discuss your concerns with you. There is no charge for the initial consultation.