Under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD), employers in Galloway Township are prohibited from making employment decisions based on an employee’s marital status. This protection extends to individuals who are single, married, divorced, separated, or in same-sex relationships. Employers cannot use an employee’s relationship status to influence hiring, firing, promotions, job assignments, or other terms of employment.
What Counts as Marital Status Discrimination?
Marital status discrimination occurs when an employer relies on assumptions or stereotypes related to an employee’s personal relationships. Examples include:
- Denying advancement due to a pending divorce
- Rescinding a job offer because of assumed caregiving responsibilities
- Disciplining or demoting an employee for being unmarried or in a nontraditional partnership
- Providing better opportunities or benefits to married employees while excluding single or divorced workers
These actions are violations of state law and may entitle the employee to legal remedies including compensation, job reinstatement, and damages for emotional harm.
Anti-Nepotism Policies Must Be Neutral
While employers may implement anti-nepotism policies to avoid conflicts of interest, those rules must be applied consistently. If a company targets specific employees under the guise of enforcing such policies—while ignoring similar situations involving others—it may be using the policy as a cover for marital status discrimination.
Legal professionals at NJ Employment Lawyers, LLC review how such policies are enforced to determine whether they are being misused to justify biased treatment. If you’re facing unequal treatment in Galloway Township because of your relationship status, legal action may be appropriate.
Employees in Galloway Township who are subjected to workplace discrimination based on their marital status or caregiving responsibilities may have the right to take legal action under New Jersey law. These cases often involve proving that an employer’s decisions were influenced by assumptions or biases tied to an employee’s personal relationships.
NJ Employment Lawyers, LLC represents individuals facing this type of discrimination and manages each stage of the legal process:
- Analyzing workplace policies and how they are enforced
- Investigating whether marital status influenced employment decisions
- Gathering internal communications, HR records, and witness accounts
- Communicating with the employer to resolve the issue
- Filing and litigating claims in court when necessary
New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination permits employees to sue directly without first filing a claim with a government agency. This gives workers in Galloway Township the ability to act quickly when employers cross the line.
What You Need to Prove
To file a successful marital status discrimination claim, you must establish:
- You fall within a protected class under the law (e.g., single, married, divorced, in a civil union)
- You were qualified and performing your job
- You were fired, demoted, denied a promotion, or otherwise harmed
- Your marital status influenced your employer’s actions
Our attorneys build strong cases by identifying inconsistencies in how policies are applied, uncovering employer intent, and presenting evidence of unlawful motives. If you’ve been treated differently because of your relationship status in Galloway Township, legal remedies may be available.
If you succeed in a marital status discrimination claim under New Jersey law, the following remedies may be available:
- Reinstatement to your previous job or placement in a similar position
- Back pay for lost wages and benefits, including interest
- Compensation for emotional harm caused by the discrimination
- Punitive damages if the employer’s actions were especially egregious
- Payment of attorneys’ fees and legal costs
These remedies aim to correct the harm done and hold employers accountable for violating state law.
Legal Support for Workers in Galloway Township
If your employer took adverse action against you because of your marital or relationship status, you may have grounds for legal action. NJ Employment Lawyers, LLC represents workers in Galloway Township and throughout New Jersey in employment discrimination matters. We investigate each claim thoroughly and pursue every form of relief available under the law.
There’s no cost for an initial consultation, and you don’t pay unless we recover compensation on your behalf.