There are a variety of violations that employers commit against their employees. Unfortunately, workers often fail to come forward and report offenses due to fear of retaliation from their employers. However, any form of retaliation against an employee is highly illegal. An experienced Worcester workplace retaliation lawyer can help you file a claim and recover compensation.
At Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard, we will use every tool at our disposal to ensure you get the money you need if you were the victim of workplace retaliation from your employer. Our Worcester labor and employment lawyers are ready to get started on your case today. Contact us to set up an initial case consultation with a member of our staff.
Workplace Retaliation Can Take Many Forms
There are many protections in place to help prevent employers from abusing their workers. Perhaps the most important of these is protection against retaliation. Employers can retaliate against workers in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common types of workplace retaliation include:
- Firing an employee
- Cutting an employee’s hours
- Passing an employee over for promotion
- Demoting an employee
- Harassment
- Bullying
- Exclusion
- Transferring an employee
- Assigning an employee the most difficult or least desirable duties
- Increasing an employee’s workload
- Reducing an employee’s benefits
- Cutting an employee’s salary
- Giving an employee unfair performance evaluations
If you can show that your employer is treating you unjustly as an act of retaliation, you may be able to file a lawsuit and recover compensation. An experienced workplace retaliation lawyer in Worcester, MA, can help you prove that your employer’s actions are being carried out as a form of retaliation.
For a free legal consultation with a workplace retaliation lawyer serving Worcester, call (860) 999-9394
Common Reasons for Workplace Retaliation
Some of the most common reasons employers retaliate against their employees include if the worker:
- Blew the whistle on illegal activity
- Reported workplace discrimination
- Filed for workers’ compensation after a workplace injury
- Took legitimate medical leave
- Reported sexual harassment
- Reported any other form of workplace misconduct
If you took any of these actions and suffered any form of retaliation as a result, you have the right to pursue legal action against your employer.
Worcester Workplace Retaliation Lawyer Near Me (860) 999-9394
Retaliation Cases Are Taken Very Seriously by the Court
Protection against retaliation is one of the most important rights that workers have. The government encourages workers to exercise their rights and report any misconduct to ensure better and safer working conditions for everyone. Because of this, it is critical that workers do not fear retaliation if they exercise their rights.
Most of the time, the court awards greater compensation in retaliation cases than what is rewarded for the initial offense. For example, if you were the victim of unpaid overtime and won your case against your employer, the court may award you damages in the amount of the overtime you were not paid.
Then, if your employer fires you for reporting the unpaid overtime and you pursue a case for wrongful termination and win, the court will likely award you damages to cover the loss of income as well as significant punitive damages to punish your employer for retaliating against you.
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How Long Do I Have to File a Retaliation Lawsuit?
If your employer retaliated against you for taking a legally protected action, you will generally have three years to file a lawsuit against them in Massachusetts. If you don’t get the necessary documents submitted in time, you will likely be out of options for recovering compensation.
However, you need to understand that exceptions can exist that can alter the amount of time you have to take legal action. Depending on the specific circumstances of your case, you could see the filing deadline shift in either direction.
The best way to ensure you understand the exact deadline that applies to your case is by hiring an experienced workplace retaliation attorney serving Worcester, MA, from Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard as soon as possible. Your attorney will identify the correct deadline for your case and ensure that all the necessary documents are submitted on time.
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An Experienced Worcester Workplace Retaliation Attorney Can Help Prove That Your Employer Broke the Law
Proving retaliation is not always easy. While it can be straightforward in some cases, such as if your employer terminates your employment right after you blow the whistle on illegal activity, in many cases, it is much more difficult to prove.
Employers often delay taking action against employees to make their retaliation more difficult to prove. Your employer may wait until a few months have passed after you get back from taking medical leave, then begin giving you negative performance evaluations in a lead-up to terminating you from your job.
In these more complicated cases, hiring an experienced employment retaliation lawyer in Worcester, MA, can be critical for proving that your lawyer was, in fact, retaliating against you. They can work to show that your performance did not decline but that the behavior of your employer changed in relation to the action you took.
Get Help From an Experienced Workplace Retaliation Lawyer Serving Worcester Today
When attempting to recover compensation in a workplace retaliation lawsuit, hiring an experienced attorney is the best way to improve your odds. At Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard, our experienced team will take every possible action to ensure a favorable outcome to your case.
Contact us today by phone or through our website to set up an initial case evaluation with a member of our legal team. We’ll take every action necessary to ensure a favorable outcome for your case.
Call or text (860) 999-9394 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form