If you stop and think about how often you hear about an employee suing their employer, it’s probably quite often. It’s not surprising that’s the case. According to a study conducted by the insurance company Hiscox, U.S., most employers have a 12% chance of being sued by their employees. The smaller a business is, the more likely it is to find itself embroiled in a lawsuit. There are some standard reasons employees sue their employers.
One common reason employees sue their employers is because they get hurt on the job.
Another all-too-common reason that workers end up filing lawsuits against their employers is that the employer engaged in illegal discrimination against the employee. Nationality, disability, gender, religion and sexual orientation are just some of the many reasons employers discriminate against their employees. Immigration-related issues can also affect an employee’s work status and thus lead them to file suit as well.
Employers also end up getting sued for bullying, harassing or otherwise allowing for a hostile work environment to exist. One of the primary reasons that employees leave their jobs is because they could longer handle being bullied by their immediate supervisor.
Workers who witness non-uniform enforcement of rules or who are subjected to harassment often sue their employers because they’re retaliated against or wrongfully terminated for speaking up about these injustices.
Wage and hour violations are another common reason that employers often get sued. Often, these types of suits are filed against companies for failing to pay the state- or federally-mandated minimum wage or overtime. These types of suits are also filed over the inequitable payment of employees.
If a cost of living increase or raise is denied to hourly workers because of budgetary constraints, yet given to executives, then an employee may elect to file suit.
Filing suit against your Portland employer isn’t easy. You must have evidence on hand showing their negligence, history of discrimination or harassment, lack of payment for the time that you worked or the inequitable treatment that you received. An employment law attorney who is committed to advocating for employees can help you build your case so that your rights are protected here in Oregon.