- Home
- About
- Practice Areas
- Areas Served
- Resources
- Contact us
Employers can’t mistreat their employees in retaliation for making good-faith complaints, but holding your employer accountable takes knowledge and skill. Obtaining fair Chicago workplace retaliation settlements requires assistance from an experienced workplace retaliation attorney.
If your employer retaliated against you, our team at Wanta Thome can guide you through the legal process. We are a firm of award-winning employment lawyers who devote our careers to seeking justice in the workplace for employees like you.
Employers don’t have unlimited discretion. For example, they must comply with federal, state, and local wage and hours laws. Similarly, an employer can’t make employment decisions on discriminatory or retaliatory grounds and must obey laws protecting you from these abuses.
Illegal employer retaliation occurs when your employer takes an adverse action against you because you reported their illegal conduct, cooperated with an investigation into their conduct, or filed a claim for benefits. The following are some common examples of adverse actions:
You may feel powerless when your employer violates your rights in the workplace through retaliatory actions, but our experienced Chicago attorneys will listen to your story and present our candid opinion about your options for a settlement. There is no charge for an initial consultation, and we only take a fee if we win, so give us the chance to help you fight back.
The first step when we pursue a workplace retaliation case is contacting the employer to determine whether they are willing to negotiate a resolution. This is usually the quickest and most efficient way to address the situation and alleviate your concerns.
When necessary, we can make a formal complaint. According to 775 Illinois Civil Statutes 5/7A-102, you have two years from the date of the last adverse action to file a formal complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights. You have only 300 days to file a complaint to the Cook County Commission on Human Rights or the Chicago Commission on Human Rights, so contact Wanta Thome as soon as possible.
The agency that receives the complaint will conduct an investigation and oversee settlement negotiations if it decides the complaint has merit. A workplace retaliation settlement typically occurs through mediation or arbitration, and our Chicago attorneys will represent you during these proceedings. If these efforts are unsuccessful, the agency can give you a letter confirming you have exhausted your administrative remedies and have the right to sue your employer.
If you can demonstrate that your employer took an adverse action in retaliation for your protected conduct, your employer must compensate you for the losses you suffered. This compensation is called your damages.
If you were fired or had to quit because of the hostile environment, you are entitled to back pay and reinstatement. If you don’t want to return but the situation limits your future earning capacity, you could get forward pay. You can claim the value of any benefits you lost.
You can also seek damages for the situation’s effect on your mental health. If your employer’s conduct was outrageously unfair or discriminatory, our attorneys can seek punitive damages. Work with our Chicago lawyers to settle your employment retaliation case without delay.
You don’t have to try negotiating Chicago workplace retaliation settlements on your own. At Wanta Thome Employment Lawyers, we know how to effectively pursue the settlement you deserve. Call us immediately if you experience retaliation or other unlawful treatment at work.