A discrimination lawyer in Washington, D.C. from Eric Siegel Law has been representing victims of discrimination for many years. We understand the complex nature of these cases, and can be strategic in yielding a positive outcome for our clients. Discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favorably compared to another due to their background or personal characteristics. This is defined as direct discrimination. By comparison, indirect discrimination is when there is unreasonable policies or rules that is applicable to everyone but has the most effect on those disadvantaging due to personal characteristics.
Discrimination can happen in various areas of life, including education, employment, using services, buying a house, or renting property, and more. Employers have a legal duty to take certain steps in preventing discrimination in the workplace. Furthermore, employers may be held liable for discriminatory actions taken against their employees by co-workers, management, clients, or other parties. As your Washington, DC discrimination lawyer from Eric Siegel Law can review with you, here are examples of protected characteristics that may be discriminated against:
Another example of discrimination is harassment, which is unwanted conduct having to do with a protected characteristic. In order to be considered harassment, it must have the effect or intention of violating that person’s dignity, humiliating them, creating a hostile environment, or degrading in nature. Examples of harassment include gossip, using nicknames, intrusive questions, inappropriate comments, and/or bullying.
A common excuse many people use to justify discriminatory words or actions is that they did not have the intention to offend the other person. To say a behavior or statement was not made maliciously is not a sufficient excuse. If it impacted the person in a negative way and was related to the protected characteristics listed above, then it may be deemed discrimination.
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If you are wondering whether a recent incident constitutes as discrimination, and contact our law firm immediately. In some circumstances, discrimination may be lawful if your employer can objectively justify it. However, in many cases a person is not wrong for feeling that they have been discriminated against, and it is worth visiting with a lawyer right away for advice. Don’t hesitate to call a Washington, DC lawyer for discrimination cases from Eric Siegel Law now to book an upcoming consultation.
“Attorney Siegel was very responsive and thorough in his analysis of the issues which was presented. I liked his calm and professional demeanor. I would definitely recommend him to anyone seeking competent legal advice.”
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