Federal Employment Discrimination - Your Path Through the EEOC

Federal workplace discrimination claims usually fall under one or more of these statutes:

• Title VII (42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2): Race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), and national origin.
• ADA Title I (42 U.S.C. § 12112): Disability discrimination and the duty to provide reasonable accommodations.
• ADEA (29 U.S.C. § 623): Age discrimination against workers age 40 and older.
• GINA (42 U.S.C. § 2000ff-1): Genetic information discrimination.

A single case can include multiple theories. Your EEOC charge must check the right boxes and preserve each claim you may want to sue on later.

Most federal anti-discrimination laws apply to private employers, state and local governments, and employment agencies above certain size thresholds:

• Title VII and ADA: Generally employers with 15 or more employees (42 U.S.C. § 2000e(b); 42 U.S.C. § 12111(5)(A)).
• ADEA: Generally employers with 20 or more employees (29 U.S.C. § 630(b)).

Smaller employers may still be liable under state law. A federal employment discrimination lawyer evaluates which statutes and forums fit your facts before you file.

Discrimination means an adverse job action — termination, demotion, denial of promotion, pay cut, or hostile treatment — motivated by a protected characteristic or disability.

Retaliation means punishment for protected activity: filing or threatening an EEOC charge, complaining internally about discrimination, requesting FMLA leave, or asking for a reasonable accommodation. Title VII anti-retaliation rules appear at 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-3(a); the ADA has parallel protections at 42 U.S.C. § 12203.

Many workers have both theories. We map each claim to your timeline and evidence before drafting the charge.

Successful federal discrimination claims can yield reinstatement, back pay, front pay, compensatory damages for emotional harm, punitive damages when conduct was especially malicious, and attorney's fees.

Combined compensatory and punitive damages are capped based on employer size:

• 15–100 employees: $50,000
• 101–200 employees: $100,000
• 201–500 employees: $200,000
• More than 500 employees: $300,000

Back pay is not subject to these caps. We evaluate which remedies fit your facts before filing with the EEOC.

This page is the federal gateway — EEOC filing, applicable statutes, and deadlines. Claim-specific standards live on our service pages:

You can file an EEOC charge yourself, but mistakes are costly:

• Leaving a legal theory off the charge can limit what you can sue on later.
• Missing the 180- or 300-day filing window bars your federal claim.
• After a Notice of Right to Sue, you have only 90 days to file suit — building a case from scratch at that point is risky.
• Employers submit Position Statements that minimize or misstate facts; a rebuttal requires evidence and legal framing.

A federal employment discrimination lawyer drafts the charge, tracks deadlines, and prepares for litigation before the clock runs out.

We submit a formal document to the EEOC outlining the facts of your case. It is crucial to include all relevant details and check all the right boxes (race, sex, disability, retaliation, etc.). If you leave something out, you may not be able to sue for it later.

Deadline Warning: In most states, you have 300 days from the date of the discrimination to file. In some cases, it's only 180 days. Do not delay.

The EEOC may offer mediation, where we sit down with the employer to try to settle the case early. If mediation fails or is refused, the EEOC will investigate.

During the investigation, the employer will submit a "Position Statement" denying your claims. We will file a rebuttal to expose their lies and provide evidence supporting your side.

At the end of the process, the EEOC will issue a "Notice of Right to Sue." This gives you permission to file a lawsuit in federal court.

CRITICAL: Once you receive this letter, you have only 90 days to file your lawsuit. If you miss this deadline, your case is over. That is why it is vital to have an attorney ready to go.