Although Mississippi is an at-will state (meaning an employer can fire you for almost any reason), it is unlawful for your employer to discriminate against you based on your religion, sex, race, national origin or disability. In addition, your employer cannot retaliate against you for engaging in a protected activity or reporting illegal conduct to the proper authorities.
If you have experienced any of the above, you should immediately contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and file a charge of discrimination against your employer. You only have 180 days from the act of discrimination in order to file the charge of discrimination and you cannot file a lawsuit against your employer until the charge of discrimination is filed and you receive a right to sue letter from the EEOC.
Once you file the charge of discrimination, your employer will be notified of the charge and the EEOC will conduct its investigation. If you have not already hired an attorney, this is the stage where you should contact an attorney for representation. Do not wait until you receive the right to sue letter. You will only have 90 days from the date of the right to sue letter in order to file suit against your employer so the sooner you find an attorney the better, as it can sometimes take a while to find the right attorney to help you and you do not want to risk waiting too long and your deadline to file suit passing.
Teresa E. Harvey
If you have experienced discrimination or retaliation in your employment and you wish to discuss a possible lawsuit, please contact us by going to our website http://www.cglawms.com or by calling 601-948-8005 today.
