Fidelity accused of discrimination

A former employee of Fidelity Investments has sued her former company, citing discrimination and a hostile workplace environment that includes sexist and racist comments. California residents may be interested in how state law handles discrimination claims.

Racial and gender-related remarks

In the former employee’s lawsuit, she describes situations where her colleagues praised the economic impact of slavery in the United States of America, made disparaging comments about Islam and held graphic discussions about the impact of childbirth on women. The comments can be considered racial, religious and sexually inappropriate for the workplace.

The woman is described as Afro-Latina and Dominican descent in her lawsuit, and she took maternity leave during her time employed with Fidelity Investments of Merrimack, New Hampshire. She was employed for the Merrimack branch from October 2015 to her resignation in February 2018.

Hostile environment legal details

In order to foster productive, healthy working environments, most workplaces have a code of conduct that sets expectations for employees, leadership, clients, customers and shareholders. In addition, New Hampshire has listed a few situations that are actionable for workplace hostile environment claims. In order to be actionable, an employee must have been subjected to hostility that includes certain legally protected characteristics:

• Age
• Marital status
• National origin
• Physical or mental disability
• Race
• Religion
• Sexual orientation

Claims can be filed via the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, and federal claims can be filed via the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. While every state is different, there is a administrative organization in every state. If you’re unsure of who you need to contact, or whether you need to file a claim against a national or international employer in a specific location, an attorney may help.

For help with hostile workplace environment or discrimination claims in California, contact an attorney and have a few details ready about your situation, such as the dates and times of harassment as well as the names and contact information of anyone who can confirm your side of the issue. The attorney may help you organize the evidence against your employer and file a claim on your behalf.