Illinois Civil Rights Legal Questions

You need an experienced attorney who practices in the area of civil rights.  You can search for such an attorney using the "Find a Lawyer" tab and then by entering "civil rights" in the practice area search box.  As this will likely be a federal court case, you can search outside of your city and county in any place that is still within the same federal district (Illinois has three).This type of case can be extremely time-consuming and costly, the likelihood of success is generally low, and the amount of damages can be limited.  So be prepared to pay an hourly fee and to deposit a reasonable initial retainer ($25,000-30,000) with a competent attorney.Although there is no legal requirement that you have an attorney, this sort of case is kind of like rebuilding a motor vehicle transmission.  You legally CAN do it yourself but not very many people have the knowledge, skill, training, and experience to do it themselves, including most attorneys who do not practice in that area of law.  If you truly have a 100% guaranteed winning case, invest the $100,000+ in a good, competent, experienced lawyer who practices in that area of law.... Read More

In Illinois, anyone can be fired for any reason, or for no reason at all;  that's the basic rule.  It's the other side of the coin from your own right to quit for any reason or for no reason at all.  The only exceptions are 1. if you have an employment contract - either as a union member or a personal contract, or 2. if you were fired for some illegal reason like racial or disability discrimination, sexual harassment or retaliation for a previous claim. You might be able to show that your firing was in retaliation for the claim you made, but you will need to prove that with witnesses or some sort of documentation.  The employer will find some error you made, however minor, and argue that that's why they fired you.  It's a tough case to win, even if you are entitled to win. But if it's a discrimination issue, meaning retaliation for the previous claim, you will need to go back to the EEOC/IDHS and file a new claim, and do it soon.  There's a short limit of time.    ... Read More

Unfortunately . . . Yes.  Of course I am not an Illinois Attorney, but in New York and New Jersey, that is a perfectly valid reason for terminating an employee.  In NY, an employer doesn't even need to give you a reason.  But what an employer cannot do is use the excuse that you are working at another restaurant to fire you because he/she has really something against your race, religion, gender, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation (in some states).  Best bet is to call an Illinois Attorney.... Read More