Know Your Rights: Federal & State Laws Protect
Both Older and Younger workers

Employees in the United States are protected from age discrimination under federal and state law. The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects employees who are at least 40 years old and work for an employer with at least 20 employees. The ADEA makes it illegal for an employer to make job-related decisions based solely upon age.

Many state laws go further, such as New York law, which applies to employers of at least 4 employees and protects both older and younger workers from age-related employment discrimination. If you were laid off, but younger employees with less experience were not, you may be suffering from the challenge of age discrimination.

The EEOC and New York State Time Deadlines for Filing Discrimination Claims

If you have suffered an adverse employment action, like denial of a promotion, a demotion, suspension without pay, or termination/layoff, you need to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, or your state/county/city agency before you can sue. At our firm, we file the necessary pre-litigation claims with the appropriate agencies on behalf of our clients.

In New York, you have 300 days from the date of the last discriminatory act to file a complaint with the EEOC, and one year from the last discriminatory acts to file with either the New York State Division of Human Rights or the New York City Commission on Human Rights, and finally, you have 3 years from the last discriminatory act to commence a lawsuit directly in New York State Supreme Court under the state and/or city “Human Rights Laws.” Filing a charge of discrimination with the EEOC is always a requirement before you’re allowed to sue your employer in federal court.

How We Help

If you are experiencing or have experienced unequal treatment at work because of your age, call or write to us for a free consultation, as we have a proven track record of successfully prosecuting age discrimination matters, as we did for our client Theresa Garafolo, winning $1 million for her following a jury trial in federal court.

Deborah O’Rell, Client Advocate

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