Pennsylvania and New Jersey Racial Discrimination Attorneys

The Civil Rights movement of the 20th Century brought profoundly important legislation protecting workers against discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. Any person who experiences an adverse employment decision based on his or her race, color or national origin may have a claim under any one of those acts.

Philadelphia Racial Discrimination Lawyer

It is illegal for an employer to pass over an employee or potential employee for a job or promotion, or to terminate or harass the employee due to that person’s race, color or national origin. A person who has been the victim of such discrimination has a right to both monetary damages and injunctive relief. At Console Mattiacci Law, LLC, we are proud to represent the victims of employment discrimination and have been recognized by our peers for our dedication to employment law.

We represent clients throughout Pennsylvania, including, but not limited to, Philadelphia Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, Lancaster and Chester Counties, with an office in Philadelphia. We also have an office in Moorestown, New Jersey, and represent clients throughout the state, including, but not limited to, Burlington, Camden, Atlantic, Gloucester and Cape May Counties. Additionally, we represent clients in New York.

Race, Color, National Origin and Ancestry Covered Under Law

The concept of “race” is a complex one, and may pertain to ancestry, physical traits, language or other characteristics. These differing ideas of race, however, are covered under the law. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination specifically cover “ancestry,” and the federal Civil Rights Act is interpreted to also cover ancestry.

Race may be both a person’s actual ancestral background and his or her perceived background. If an employer believes an employee to be of a certain racial or ethnic background when he or she is not and discriminates against the employee on that belief, then that employee may have a claim.

National origin discrimination may include discrimination based on cultural characteristics. An employer may not discriminate based on an accent unless it materially interferes with the employee’s work. An employer may not implement an English-only policy unless it is necessary for safe and efficient operations.

It is also illegal, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, to discriminate against a person with appropriate working authorization because he or she is not a citizen.

Types of Discriminatory Actions

Employment discrimination may mean refusal to hire, refusal to promote or termination based on a protected characteristic, including race, color, national origin, birthplace or ancestry.

Discrimination also includes harassment. It is illegal for an employer to create or allow a hostile workplace for an employee based on any protected characteristic. This can include ethnic slurs, racial “jokes” or “jokes” about a nationality or ethnic group, or comments about a race or ethnic group of people. This is regardless of whether or not the person making the comments is aware the employee is a member of that group.

An employee who complains of discrimination is also protected from retaliation, regardless of whether or not he or she has a valid claim.

A person who is the victim of discrimination based on race, color, national origin or ancestry has a right to monetary damages, including lost back and front pay, mental anguish, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs. He or she may also have a right to injunctive relief, including an order requiring the company to hire him or her or restore his or her job.

Console Mattiacci Law, LLC ǀ Philadelphia Attorneys for Discrimination Based on Race, Color or National Origin

If you have been the victim of employment discrimination in the Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania, New Jersey or New York based on race, color, national origin or ancestry, you can seek relief. A dedicated Philadelphia employment discrimination lawyer from Console Mattiacci Law, LLC can assist you. Call today at 215-545-7676 to set up a consultation.