Tallahassee Civil Rights Lawyer

DSK Law has years of experience representing employers and employees in employment-based civil rights lawsuits. This includes wage and overtime lawsuits, misclassification lawsuits, and contract issues.

By having experience defending employers and advocating for employees, we can successfully predict the arguments of opposing counsel. Our Tallahassee civil rights lawyers also help employers implement initiatives to align their companies with state and federal civil rights legislation.

Civil Rights Lawsuits are Litigated at Both the State and Federal Level

Lawsuits arguing that an employee was unfairly discriminated against for a position are argued at both the state and federal level. While some states have protections that far exceed federal rules, Florida is not among them. On the other hand, Florida does not cap damages in the same way that federal courts do.

At the federal level, employees are capped on the amount of damages they can receive in a lawsuit against their employer. This depends on the size of the employer’s firm. In addition, while an employee may pursue punitive damages against an employer under Florida law, they cannot pursue punitive damages against an employer under federal law. For this reason, the majority of lawsuits will be brought in state and not federal court.

Civil Rights Lawsuits in Florida

In Florida and at the federal level, it is unlawful to discriminate against an employee on the basis of:

• Race or color,
• Sex or gender,
• Creed or religion,
• Disability,
• Age,
• Or familial status.

In addition to these laws, individual cities or municipalities may extend protections to other protected characteristics such as sexual orientation or status as a military veteran.

Types of prohibited behavior include:

• Denying employment based on discriminatory reasons,
• Failure to promote based on discriminatory,
• Retaliatory firing or demoting,
• Discriminatory language in employment applications.

Fair Labor Standards and Employee Misclassification Lawsuits

Sometimes, employers use creative ways to avoid paying their employees overtime or providing other benefits to those who work for them. They do this by misclassifying those who would otherwise be considered employees as independent contractors or executive/professional workers. This can result in employment disputes where employees raise a cause of action against their employer for unfair labor standards. DSK Law has experience representing both employees and employers in these types of disputes.

Other Cases DSK Law Handles

In addition to the two most common employment disputes mentioned above, DSK Law handles cases involving:

• Severance package disputes,
• Employment contract disputes and non-compete clauses,
• Family and medical leave claims,
• Pension and employee benefit disputes,
• Retaliation and whistleblower claims,
• Sexual harassment and hostile work environment claims,
• Collective bargaining agreements and grievances,
• And more.

We also provide workplace training to companies that want to ensure they’re in compliance with Florida law.

Contact a Tallahassee Civil Rights Lawyer Today

DSK Law can manage all aspects of employer/employee disputes. If you’re an employer who is fighting multiple civil rights claims or an employee who believes they have been mistreated by the company they work for, DSK Law can help litigate your claim and come to a fair resolution. Give our Tallahassee employment lawyers a call or contact us online for more information.