Race Discrimination

It is illegal for employers to discriminate against a job applicant or employee based on their race, national origin, or color. Both federal and state laws prohibit discrimination on this basis. Unfortunately, it still happens at times. Lawsuits may arise in connection with employees of African-American, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, or Asian heritage. At Neumann Law Group, Kelly Neumann is an experienced employment attorney who can offer legal representation to workers who believe that they have suffered from discrimination on the basis of race. Our Grand Rapids and Traverse City race discrimination lawyers can assist Michigan residents with holding their employers accountable for any misconduct.

Both federal and state laws prohibit race discrimination. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the federal law that forbids employers from discriminating due to race, national origin, or color, among other protected characteristics. It is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and you must first file a charge with the EEOC before filing a federal lawsuit alleging a Title VII violation. This is called exhausting your administrative remedies

In some potentially valid cases of race discrimination, the EEOC fails to find evidence of race discrimination and issues a Notice of Right to Sue, which provides a limited window of time within which to sue in federal court for race discrimination. You should not assume that you do not have a case just because the EEOC did not find the evidence that it needed to pursue your claim. Our race discrimination attorneys can help Traverse City and Grand Rapids workers understand their legal options.

In some ways, the Michigan Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) is more expansive when it comes to protection from race discrimination. Unlike Title VII, which applies to employers with 15 or more employees, ELCRA applies to employers of all sizes. It is illegal under ELCRA for your employer to hire you, refuse to hire you, terminate you, or discriminate against you with regard to any of the terms or conditions of your employment due to your race or color. Your employer is not supposed to use race as the basis for whether you are admitted to any program or apprenticeship that is part of your employment. It also should not segregate or classify employees such that they would be deprived of any employment opportunities due to their race or color.

Sometimes, seemingly neutral policies or practices have a disparate impact on workers of a particular race or color. This means that they disproportionately affect members of a protected group. This is a form of discrimination, as is harassment of a worker based on their race. You may bring a private lawsuit for damages under ELCRA, but you must bring it within three years of a discriminatory act.

Workers in Michigan have a right to be free from race discrimination in the workplace. If you have been a victim of mistreatment, our Traverse City and Grand Rapids race discrimination attorneys may be able to assist you. Our firm also represents people in Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Detroit, Wyoming, Saginaw, Muskegon, Midland, Holland, Warren, and Petoskey, as well as communities throughout the Upper Peninsula. Contact Neumann Law Group at 800-525-NEUMANN or via our online form to set up a free appointment with a race or age discrimination lawyer.