Even employees who have a long track record of workplace success can face discrimination and retaliation on the job. Fortunately, victims of employment law violations can obtain a legal remedy if they have the proper legal support. One example is a former high-performing sales associate at an Atlanta Dillard’s location who received a $70,000 payment from the department store company. 

In her lawsuit, the former employee alleged that she was discriminated against because she was an African-American and because of the accommodation she had negotiated for her pregnancy. When a new manager took over, the accommodation was rescinded and she was switched to a less desirable department where it was much more difficult to meet the sales goals she had previously exceeded. After she raised an objection to the transfer, the employee’s hours were reduced. Shortly after that, she and other Dillard’s employees were furloughed due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. 

As Dillard’s reopened the claimant’s store in April 2020, she was not asked to return to work and was eventually fired in August. At that point, she brought her claim to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging that she had been retaliated against, constituting a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After attempting to negotiate a settlement with Dillard’s, the EEOC filed suit. 

A consent decree between the EEOC and Dillard’s resolved the case. In addition to paying the claimant $70,000, the department store company also agreed to train its employees on the laws prohibiting workplace discrimination and retaliation. Dillard’s will also survey workers about whether they’ve faced bias on the job and let the EEOC monitor claims of retaliation. 

Nearly every instance of alleged workplace retaliation is met with an employer response that the dismissal or other adverse job action was based on something else. However, an experienced employment law attorney can investigate the facts and determine the true motivation of a firing or demotion. Even if you only suspect that you were retaliated against, Kardell Law Group can review the circumstances and give you honest counsel as to whether you might be entitled to a monetary recovery like the sales associate fired from Dillard’s.