Workers in Minnesota don’t always fit neatly into demographic categories, and that reality means the law can’t list every possible form of unfair treatment you might face. If your employer discriminated against you because of your ethnicity, you may be surprised to learn that the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) doesn’t list ethnicity as a standalone protected category.
You can still take legal action. When you work with our attorneys at Wanta Thome, you get a Minneapolis ethnicity discrimination lawyer who understands employment law and knows how to use those protections to defend your rights and help you pursue justice.
The MHRA bars employers from discriminating against you based on specific protected characteristics. Minnesota Statutes § 363A.02 lists many of these characteristics, but ethnicity does not appear on that list. Many people assume ethnicity and race mean the same thing, but ethnicity is usually more complex and often overlaps with several protected categories.
When you face discrimination because of your ethnicity, the conduct often involves two or more protected characteristics, such as:
Because the law does not treat ethnicity as its own protected characteristic, our attorneys typically build your Minneapolis ethnicity discrimination claim by citing the combination of protected characteristics that apply to your situation.
Minnesota’s Somali community offers a clear example. If your employer fired you because you are Somali, your claim would likely involve race, color, and national origin.
Likewise, if your employer repeatedly denied you promotions because you are ethnically Jewish, you might pursue a claim based on religion and race.
Once our Minneapolis attorneys help you prove that your employer discriminated against you based on one or more protected characteristics tied to your ethnicity, we then pursue every legal remedy available to you. These remedies may include:
If your former position no longer exists or your relationship with your employer has deteriorated too much for reinstatement to make sense, you may receive compensation for future wages, often called “front pay.”
Experiencing discrimination or harassment at work can place intense stress on you, and that strain can leave lasting psychological harm. The MHRA allows you to recover damages for emotional distress, sometimes called mental anguish, when you prove discrimination.
Depending on your situation, emotional-distress damages can make up a significant portion of your total recovery. When you work with our Minneapolis attorney, experienced in ethnic discriminatory conduct, we help you present your story clearly and show the emotional and psychological harm you suffered as a result of discriminatory conduct.
You can talk with a Minneapolis ethnicity discrimination lawyer from our firm at Wanta Thome for free if you’re unsure whether you have an actionable claim. We offer free initial consultations, and we take most cases on a contingency-fee basis. That means we don’t collect any legal fees unless we help you recover compensation.
Reach out today to tell us your story, get answers to your questions, and learn how we can help you pursue justice in the workplace.