Federal and New Jersey laws protect employees in Weymouth Township, NJ from workplace disability discrimination. If your employer treated you unfairly because of a physical or mental disability, failed to provide a reasonable accommodation, or made employment decisions based on assumptions about your condition, you may have legal options.
Federal Disability Discrimination Protections
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to employers with 15 or more employees. Under the ADA, employers cannot:
- Discriminate against an employee or job applicant because of a disability or a history of a disability.
- Treat someone unfairly because they are perceived to have a disability, even if they do not have one.
- Discriminate against an employee because they have a relationship or association with a person who has a disability.
The ADA defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment. Employers must also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees unless doing so would create an undue hardship for the business.
New Jersey Disability Discrimination Law
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) provides broad protections for employees throughout New Jersey, including those in Weymouth Township. The law applies to every stage of employment, including recruiting, hiring, job assignments, promotions, discipline, compensation, layoffs, and termination. Employment decisions must be based on qualifications and job performance—not disability.
Under NJLAD, protected disabilities include:
- Physical disabilities, illnesses, injuries, congenital conditions, and impairments resulting from accidents or disease.
- Mental, intellectual, developmental, and psychological conditions that affect bodily or mental functions.
NJLAD protects individuals with current disabilities, past disabilities, perceived disabilities, and certain conditions that may develop in the future. Employers are also required to provide reasonable accommodations when appropriate and cannot use an employee’s disability as a basis for layoffs or other adverse employment actions.
Disability Harassment in the Workplace
Disability-based harassment is prohibited under both the ADA and NJLAD. Employers have a legal responsibility to prevent and address harassment by supervisors, coworkers, clients, customers, or other individuals in the workplace. When harassment creates a hostile work environment or interferes with an employee’s ability to perform their job, the employer may be held liable if it fails to take appropriate corrective action.
Legal Representation for Disability Discrimination in Weymouth Township
Castronovo & McKinney, LLC represents employees in Weymouth Township, NJ, and throughout New Jersey who have experienced disability discrimination in the workplace. Whether your employer denied a reasonable accommodation, discriminated against you during hiring or employment, subjected you to harassment, or wrongfully terminated you because of a disability, our attorneys can evaluate your case and help you pursue the legal remedies available under federal and New Jersey law.
If you believe your employer violated your workplace rights because of a disability, contact Castronovo & McKinney, LLC to discuss your legal options. We represent employees throughout Weymouth Township and across New Jersey in disability discrimination claims.
