What is a hostile work environment?

 

 

A hostile work environment is a legal claim under federal anti-discrimination laws. What it means is that an employee has been subjected to severe or pervasive harassment at work that has affected a term or condition in their employment.

You break that down by saying, basically, this can’t just be rude or obnoxious behavior at work. It has to be severe or pervasive harassment that the employee is being subjected to that’s based upon their race, or their gender, or their religion, or some other protected characteristic. It can’t just be a pattern of rude behavior, generally. It needs to be because this person is a woman or because this person is African-American that they are being harassed at work, and this harassment affects their ability to do their job.

Maryland Washington DC Virginia Discrimination Attorneys

Hiring a proven and effective advocate is critical to obtaining the maximum recovery in an employment discrimination case.  Eric Bachman, Chair of the Firm’s Discrimination Practice, has substantial experience litigating precedent-setting individual and class action discrimination cases.   His wins include a $100 million settlement in a disparate impact Title VII class action and a $16 million class action settlement against a major grocery chain.   As Special Litigation Counsel in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and as lead or co-counsel in numerous jury trials, Bachman is  a litigator ready to fight for you to obtain the relief that you deserve. 

Bachman writes frequently on employment discrimination issues at the Glass Ceiling Discrimination Blog and has been quoted in national media about discrimination cases.   U.S. News and Best Lawyers® have named Zuckerman Law a Tier 1 firm in Litigation – Labor and Employment in the Washington DC metropolitan area.  Contact us today to find out how we can help you.  

To schedule a preliminary consultation, click here or call us at (202) 769-1681.

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