Determining whether you should file a claim for race discrimination is not something that you should take lightly. You first should consider what you hope to achieve.
For some, the goal is to address a wrong. That’s probably the best reason to file a claim. If employees are unwilling to stand up to employers, then they will continue to discriminate.
For others, it’s about money. There is nothing wrong with that. In civil cases, the law punishes employers by making them may money. And the law compensates employment discrimination victims with compensation.
Contrary to popular belief, suing for money is not wrong. It’s exactly how our civil system is designed to work.
Taking a case from the EEOC stage to trial can take about 2-3 years from the time you file the charge.
You will not, however, be going to trial in every case. In the majority of the cases, you will settle. And by the majority, I mean over 90%. Settlement can take place at any time between filing the charge and trial.
You can realistically expect a settlement between six months to a year after you file a charge.
In making your decision to sue, you should consider and plan for the amount of time your case will take.
Retaliation occurs when an employer acts in a way that adversely affects your employment. This could mean demotion, termination, failure to promote, failure to hire, ect. If you suspect that your employer discriminated against you, look for retaliations.
You should remember that you have to actually report the discrimination. This is necessary for a retaliation claim, which requires you to engage in protected conduct. Engaging in protected conduct means, amongst other things, that you reported the discrimination.
Reporting the discrimination is important. Oftentimes employers retaliate soon after an employee reports. Adversely affecting your employment right after you report discrimination is direct evidence is direct evidence of retaliation.
And this type of direct evidence normally sits well with the jury. It’s easy for them to understand. They normally understand that you believed you were discriminated against. And that because you reported it, your employer decided to adversely affect your employment.
Because retaliation claims are easy for a jury to digest, they increase your chances of winning at trial. And because your chances of winning at trial are better, employers have to offer more money to settle your case.
An employment lawyer can help you determine your options here. You may want to talk through whether you should report before you do it.
Race discrimination lawsuits are hard to prove. But they are not impossible. You are going to be against big companies. These companies will hire expensive lawyers. And those lawyers are normally intelligent and skilled.
If you believe you have a case, remember: