Discrimination Claims

You’ve probably heard that Texas is an ‘at will’ State – meaning that your employer can hire or fire you for whatever reason they want.  However, you have the right to work in an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Nevertheless, thousands of workers each year are fired or laid off for reasons which they believe have nothing to do with their job performance like: their race, gender, age, disabilities, etc.  Fortunately, there are several federal laws, which prohibit such job discrimination.  Examples of these laws are:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), prohibiting discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;
• The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which states that men and women doing equal work at the same employer should receive equal pay;
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects workers 40 years of age or older from job discrimination;
• Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA);
• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities who work in the federal government; and
• The Civil Rights Act of 1991, which allows for monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.

If you believe that you are a victim of discrimination, contact Mr. Debes for a free confidential evaluation of your claim.

Race Discrimination

If an employer:

• Fails or refuses to hire or fire any individual, or otherwise discriminates against any individual with respect to his or her compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's race, color, or national origin; or
• Limits, segregates, or classifies employees or applicants for employment in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his or her status as an employee, because of such individual's race, color, or national origin

  Then you may be the victim of race discrimination. 

If you believe that you are a victim of race discrimination, contact Mr. Debes for a free confidential evaluation of your claim.

Pregnancy Discrimination

Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, unlawful discrimination includes:

• Discrimination in hiring, promotions, or issuing health insurance or fringe benefits on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions;
• Refusal to hire a pregnant woman because of her pregnancy, a pregnancy-related condition, or the prejudices of co-workers, clients, or customers;
• Refusal to give the same considerations to workers temporarily disabled by pregnancy as given to other workers temporarily disabled, such as allowing modification of tasks or alternative assignments; and
• Prohibiting an employee from returning to work for a predetermined length of time after childbirth

If you believe that you are a victim of pregnancy discrimination, contact Mr. Debes for a free confidential evaluation of your claim.

Disability Discrimination

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 prohibits:

• Discrimination "against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment":
• Discrimination against employees and applicants who have a "physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, have a record of such an impairment; or are regarded as having such an impairment"; and
• Failure to provide reasonable accommodations for a qualified employee or applicant with a disability, such as providing handicap accessible facilities, modifying work schedules, restructuring, or providing modified equipment or interpreters.

Free Consultation • Handicapped Accessible • Across from the Galleria

Located in Houston, the Texas employment discrimination attorneys of the Debes Law Firm represent clients nationwide. Regionally we serve the uptown, downtown and Galleria areas of Houston, the cities of Austin, Bellaire, Bryan, College Station, Corpus Christi, El Campo, Horton, Galveston, Port Arthur, Sugar Land, Texas City, and West University, as well as residents of Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Harris County.