Defending Employment Discrimination Claims & Defending Against Employment Discrimination Lawsuits in Colorado

When it comes to lawsuits against employers for discrimination in Colorado, not every allegation of employment discrimination by an employee is valid. However, Colorado employers sometimes are not clear as to what actions are allowable, how to prevent workplace discrimination from occurring, or how to defend against EEOC discrimination charges.

68% of Colorado employers that do not have internal legal counsel, fail to address the claims set forth in the EEOC charge. Out of those, 52% do not understand the defense structure and balancing test used to decide whether workplace discrimination cases have taken place. Why is this? 

The basic reasons why most employers fail are because they simply rely on HR personnel to craft the position statement; Not understanding what are valid non-discriminatory reasons; not having documentation and internal policies and controls. Employers can be at risk when defending against employment and workplace discrimination lawsuits in Colorado. These risks can be minimized if you can show that you have a legitimate business reason for the alleged discriminatory action.

For example, when your customer base has significantly decreased, laying an employee off can be a valid reason.

Basic Colorado Employment Workplace Discrimination Law

Employers are not allowed to discriminate in employment based upon any of the following factors

• Racial discrimination
• Color
• National Origin
• Ancestry
• Creed
• Religion
• Sex
• Age
• Physical Disability
• Mental Disability
• Marriage to a Co-Worker (subject to specific circumstances)
• Sexual Orientation

Types of Workplace Discrimination Cases (above) and Highlights for Colorado Employers

The following are but two employment discrimination cases showing employers that the courts are well involved.

Village Freeport v. Barrella – Second Circuit held workplace discrimination based on ethnicity may also constitute race discrimination. (February 16, 2016) .

Robles v. Agre Services, Inc. – Eastern District of California held that the foreman’s gunshot in direction of Mexican workers did not create a national origin claim. (January 27, 2016).

To Dos for Defending Employment Discrimination Claims from the EEOC

Having internal plans for upward mobility. Some employers have set plans for upward mobility. However, the key is to make it available to all employees that qualify for promotions into available positions. There could be educational requirements for higher-level positions. The key here when defending against workplace discrimination lawsuits is to ensure that jobs are available to everyone and that your company is not charged with violating workers’ rights, or wrongful termination by not making those opportunities available to them.

Keep Sound Internal Employment Discrimination Policies: Defending against the various types of workplace discrimination lawsuits against employers in Colorado also means having internal training and policies for your supervisors and management personnel. Employers can be at a disadvantage when an employee has a legitimate discriminatory complaint, but the supervisor handles it inappropriately.

Whether the charge is sexual discrimination, national origin discrimination, racial discrimination or another form of discrimination, employers can also create a sound defense to discrimination when they can show that the employee disregarded policy.

Maintain Adequate Employee Records: Often, Colorado employers are successful in defending employment discrimination claims when they have detailed employee records that show negative behavior, warnings, etc. A strong defense to the EEOC charge could be that as an employer, your choice to terminate the employee was due to continuously being late, not following procedures, or some other non-discriminatory reason. 

• A solid defense against workplace discrimination lawsuits starts with your documentation;
• Always keep your files up to date.
• To overcome the charge you must have a non-discriminatory reason for the alleged EEOC charge.

EEOC Tips for Colorado Companies Defending Lawsuits Against Employers for Discrimination 

When an employee files a discrimination lawsuit charge against you as the employer, you must respond to the EEOC charge with a valid, non-discriminatory reason for the adverse action. There are various valid reasons why companies are defending against lawsuits against employers for discrimination. The ones mentioned above are simply basic common approaches. See information about age discrimination. and types of discrimination damages.

The initial response to an EEOC charge will be critical for any future litigation. Having an experienced defense lawyer can minimize the impact of costly mistakes. When you offer a reason for the adverse action, the legal burden then shifts to the employee to show that your stated reason was a pretext for workplace discrimination.

• This is usually the step that employees have a hard time proving.
• Employment discrimination can be very complex. Employers should not take allegations lightly.
• Every employer should make sure that they preserve the entire record for litigation or appeal when defending employment discrimination claims

Notes for Federal Contractor Employers

Executive Order 11246 was amended to prohibit federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation. EEOC reports have been updated for implementation by September 30, 2017.

If you are Colorado Employer Defending Employment Discrimination Claims, Call Our Colorado Employment Discrimination Defense Law Firm For Immediate Help.

720-941-7200.