Employment Law

Employee-side employment law focuses on protecting workers from unfair treatment, discrimination, harassment, and other violations of workplace rights. These cases are sometimes called employment discrimination claims, wrongful termination cases, or workplace retaliation lawsuits, but at their core, they all involve standing up for employees who have been treated unfairly on the job.

Regardless of the label, the goal is the same: to hold employers accountable when they violate workplace laws, policies, or your legal rights as an employee.

Federal and state laws exist to protect employees from discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics such as race, gender, religion, age, disability, or national origin. These laws also protect workers from retaliation for reporting wrongdoing, exercising workplace rights, or participating in investigations.

Common types of employee-side employment claims include:

• Discrimination – Claims where employees are treated unfairly, demoted, or denied opportunities because of protected characteristics.

• Professional License Defense – Claims involving disciplinary investigations or challenges to your professional license.

• Academic Tenure and Promotion – Disputes involving tenure decisions, promotion evaluations, or challenges to academic advancement, including disagreements over criteria, procedures, or institutional policies.

• Harassment – Situations where an employee faces unwelcome conduct in the workplace, including sexual harassment, hostile work environments, or bullying by supervisors or coworkers.

• Wrongful Termination – When an employee is fired for illegal reasons, including retaliation for reporting misconduct, whistleblowing, or exercising workplace rights.

• Retaliation – When employers punish employees for asserting their rights, such as filing a complaint about discrimination, reporting unsafe conditions, or participating in an investigation.

• Wage and Hour Violations – This includes unpaid overtime, misclassification of employees, or violations of minimum wage laws that deny workers compensation they are legally owed.

These are just some of the ways employers can violate workplace rights. If you have experienced unfair treatment, retaliation, or any form of workplace abuse, our attorneys at Ringstrom DeKrey are ready to listen to your story, review your situation, and help you understand your options.