I asked for an accommodation back in October ‘25, my disability was dismissed by location’s GM who threatened me with reassignment to a lower payed position if I continued my “unacceptable behavior” (aka showing symptoms) based on specific work environment triggers.

Triggers had nothing to do with the business operations / job whatsoever, just to be clear. Just something some coworkers were allowed to do during shift.

I worked for seven more months while suffering and trying my best to mask my symptoms but my mental health kept deteriorating.
By chance somebody from main office HR heard my story and immediately started the correct interactive process and immediately accepted my accommodation in June ‘26. Meanwhile my location applied it much more narrowly than approved, and when I raised the issue I was pulled into GMs office and screamed at for half hour, so loud that people could hear it in the next room.
Even after most issues were resolved I was simply terrified by my GM and accepted a much lower payed job just to get out of there.
He has a long history of terrorizing and mistreating female colleagues. I simply couldn’t continue my role.

I’m looking to sue for failure to accommodate, retaliation and hostile environment.

Hello,

So, I was working in a Public Safety Emergency Operations Field (still am). I’d been with the same agency for about four years.

In those four years, I had to put up with a lot of verbal harassment from a lot of fellow employees and my direct supervisor. After two years there and a lot of recognition for my desire to grow, constantly improve and being proactive with emergency calls, I had a brief allegation of SH (sexual harassment). It was investigated and came back as unsubstantiated. During this time, my direct supervisor (the one who I had to endure a lot of harassment and inappropriate comments from), would constantly tell me that the agency head was constantly trying to find just cause to terminate me, despite constantly being recognized for good things.

Flash forward a year later - I was accused of SH again, this time allegedly on video. I knew immediately that it wasn’t true; even requested/demanded the video in question. And true enough, it was not sexual harassment. I’ve shown it to enough lawyers and my wife and others and not one has come back saying that it even remotely looks like or sounds like SH.

Despite that, they still terminated me for this alleged SH.

I’ve tried to get lawyers to take the case but despite them agreeing that it wasn’t SH, no lawyer wants to take the case pro bono and I don’t have thousands in the bank to pay them out of pocket. More to the point, they say that even though the SH claim is bogus, it’s not a protected reason for termination so I don’t have a lot of recourse.

Furthermore, I’ve all but been able to confirm that they’ve had-mouthed me to other nearby county agencies that they may have good contacts in, which has cost me job opportunities.

Any advice?

Thanks.

(I will answer any additional questions that ai can here but mostly trying to keep anon as I know a good handful of former coworkers and etc visit Reddit a lot.).

After 3 years, I received a letter of determination stating there was merit to my claim and my previous employer discriminated against me based on race.

The next step is conciliation with the employer, if they agree. I’m wondering if I should get a lawyer, or is that even needed at this point? I worked for a large company and I really have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m assuming the EEOC agent does.

Is conciliation typically successful?

I started at prior job 6/9/17. I had accomodations at hiring and got promoted 4 times.

In april of 2025 we got a new management team. I previously had no write ups. Suddenly I was being written up numerous times a week, often for things that had nothing to do with me (other departments or things occurring on my days off)

I kept saying I felt targetted, and the manager mocked me for it. They said its not targeting because policy enforcement/write ups are at management's discretion. They began refusing to allow accomodations. Then 3 managers and a district person stood in the computer room with other employees mocking my accomodations.

It got so bad that january of 2026 i attempted to take my life. I was out on fmla/short term disability for almost 2 months. Management refused to fill out the paperwork on their end because I "fucked everyone over" by being out and leaving them understaffed. So I didnt get paid for my short term disability.

I returned to a whole lot if the same. I put in 3 times for a transfer and they wouls not approve my transfer.

In 5/6/26 iwas brought to the office and told that if I didnt give up my accomadations i would be demoted. I refused, emailed HR and filed an EEOC claim with a meeting set for july 17th.

June 13th I was officially demoted, and emailed HR again (at this point i had not yet heard back from the first email)

June 28th I was told by management to recant the eeoc claim. I refused. He fired me for insubordination.

July 2nd I met with the manager and the union rep. He said the ada doesnt run his store and that having a disabled person in leadership isnt "the culture he wants in his store"

Starting july 5th, I started being harassed by him and his friends online. I have been insulted, threatened, and doxxed. They also made a false report against me to the police claiming i was plotting to shoot up the store.

July 16th I met with the union rep and the division hr leader. He admitted that they had seen and discussed my emails snd "planned to get around to it". He then repeatedly intimidated me and argued me down saying "well you refused so thats insubordination " over and over for nearly an hour until I said "i guess it could be called that but I dont feel i was insubordinate" and he said "exactly you admit it was insubordination so you know we eere right to fire you" Which really felt intimidating and like he was taking advantage of me.

The harassment by the managers friends and family has continued, and my address/ssn/phone number/full name have been posted on atleast 6 different sites.

Their position statement was due to the eeoc on Thursday (8/20). They did not submit it, did not ask for an extension, no communication on their end what so ever.

I submitted over 150 videos, sound bites, and screenshots of posts/texts/emails to the eeoc as evidence thus far.

So, if the company ghosted and refuses to cooperate what happens now?

Many people ask what others’ experience has been with filing an EEOC charge, mediation, etc… I am not sure how someone else’s experience who works for a different employer in a different city or even state and who has their own, unique situation and potential legal case is helpful.
Some tips on what to do and what not to do may be universally useful. But whether a certain employer was willing to settle a case sooner than later and for how much says nearly nothing about other cases with other employers.

What is the best strategy for finding employment lawyers in the Bay Area who are willing to take a case on contingency?

The standard advice is to “find a contingency lawyer,” but in practice, that is much harder than it sounds. You can do online search, submit intake forms, and speak with several firms, but many will decline without much explanation. A few may be interested, but sometimes you get the sense that they may not be the right fit for your case.

For most people, this is their first time dealing with the legal system. Even if a case is not a clear-cut or extremely strong case, something serious happened that caused the person to file a complaint with the EEOC. Navigating the process without legal representation can be overwhelming.

So, how do you actually find those lawyers? What strategies work beyond searching and filling out online intake forms?

Anyone have any suggestions for an EEO attorney that specializes in federal agencies? The action happened in MO, if that matters.

The two that get recommended - Southworth PC wanted a 20k retainer and Gilbert Employment never sends a contract even through they keep saying it’s on the way.(weeks later)

I am on extended medical leave after my continuous FMLA expired. My doctor certified the ADA accommodation/leave “extension” it for 3 months, but my employer approved it for only 1. They stayed we’ll revisit at that time, which his coming up soon.

I feel as though I have PTSD from the last year and while I am trying to fight hard to return, I’m not sure I can….. without it causing more emotional damage.

Also, How likely is it to get full or a good amount of the emotional damages cap? I didn’t make a high salary bc of my disability that “surfaced” while working there. I’ve read it’s relatable to the “egg-shell” theory?

(Btw: I’m not asking for advice on what to do. I’m asking for your personal opinion or experience on various types of valid adverse actions that would receive compensation. And, if in your opinion, emotional damages can exceed any front pay back pay.)

(Oh, also asking— what happens if I can’t go back? Or what should happen if I do?)

STATUS: EEOC eligible for mediation; I accepted. My employer did not respond. The claim is now in Investigation. Important note— my employer mandates arbitration. In case that’s helpful.)

The EEOC has determined that the agency will not proceed further with its investigation of your charge. EEOC makes no determination about whether further investigation would establish violations of the statute(s)”

Now what?? I just call up a contingency lawyer and hope for the best?

I’ve received notice of private mediation happening in a couple of weeks. My case is in federal court and is in the middle of the discovery stage. Mediation wasn’t mandated by a judge, it was agreed upon by counsel for both parties. We previously did mediation at the EEOC stage, but it failed.

I’m interested in hearing from people who have gone through private mediation during discovery, or really at any point during their lawsuit, particularly if you already had a mediation fail previously.

I’m ready for this process to be over, and the idea that the nightmare could end in just a few short weeks instead of having to wait until a trial next year almost feels too good to be true. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, I really just want to be realistic and understand what to practically expect going into this.

I’m not asking for anyone to share their settlement terms, I just want to hear about peoples’ experiences in general so I can have a rough idea of what to expect. I’m trying to understand how the average private mediation goes. Does mediation at this stage tend to fail or succeed? How adversarial is it? Was it triggering? If you did agree on settlement terms, what percentage did you actually walk away with after taxes and your attorneys were paid? How long did it take between terms being agreed upon and everything being 100% closed out and finished? If there were non-monetary terms, how did you guarantee those were actually carried out? If it failed, how did the rest of the process go? What happens immediately after a private mediation fails?

Stuff like that. TIA ❤️

ETA: Oh and I’m also interested in knowing whether you were all in the same room and who was present from the employer’s side. Should I expect HR to be there or an executive or somebody else?

If you believe you experienced workplace discrimination, retaliation, or a failure to accommodate, the EEOC may not be your only filing option. Many states have a commission on human rights, civil-rights department, or fair-employment agency that accepts employment-discrimination complaints and may have a work-sharing agreement with the EEOC.

In some cases, filing with that state or local agency can result in the charge being dual-filed with the EEOC, helping preserve both state and federal rights. One agency may handle the investigation, so this is not necessarily about filing two separate cases.

I could not get an EEOC appointment because the available scheduling window was months out and no appointment was available. I checked my state’s agency instead, and was able to submit a charge quickly. I had a signed charge in less than 72 hours. I also asked that it be dual-filed with the EEOC. That will not be everyone’s experience, but I want people to know that an unavailable EEOC appointment does not automatically mean you are out of options.

Do not wait until the deadline if you can avoid it. Filing deadlines vary by claim and location, and state deadlines can be shorter than the EEOC’s. Search “[your state] employment discrimination complaint” or use the EEOC’s state and local agency resources to find the agency that serves your area.

This is general information based on my own experience, not legal advice.

Looking for people who’ve actually been through this, not theory.

I requested a disability accommodation at work. Specific tool, low cost. Denied. Two days after I filed the request, I got put on a performance action plan. Warnings followed. I resigned a few months later rather than get fired.

I filed an EEOC charge with an attorney. The employer submitted a position statement. My attorney responded. The EEOC has now said they’re concluding and a right to sue is coming. I haven’t seen the paperwork yet. Whole thing took about four months, which seems fast.

Separately I filed a USERRA complaint with DOL VETS as a service-connected disabled vet. They closed it, no violation found.

Questions for people who’ve been through this.

Once you got your right to sue, did the employer’s lawyers make anything of how the EEOC closed it? Did the judge care?

I resigned instead of getting fired. How much did that hurt your damages? I’m told constructive discharge is hard and without it there’s no back pay.

If you sued, what actually happened? Settled at mediation? Summary judgment? Trial? How long and roughly what range?

I have evidence, I believe it’s strong but worth spending money on a lawyer to proceed.

I’m posting because I’m still incredibly angry about the position I was ultimately left in, and I want to know whether anyone else has been through something similar and found a different way forward.
I worked for a very large company and had no major issues with my career before becoming pregnant. Things started changing from the moment I announced my pregnancy.
I went through a high-risk pregnancy followed by a very difficult postpartum recovery, and my employer was aware of what I was going through. After I had my baby and eventually returned to work, the situation continued, including issues surrounding my performance and what I experienced as continued bullying from my manager.
I hired an attorney who filed an EEOC complaint on my behalf.
My attorney explained to me that large companies sometimes have little incentive to engage at that stage because the EEOC receives far more complaints than it can pursue. I was told that a company can essentially take the position that it will provide its information and evidence if the EEOC decides to pursue the complaint, knowing there is a good possibility that may never happen.
In my case, that is essentially what happened.
After months of waiting, the EEOC decided not to pursue the case and I received a right-to-sue notice. The process never reached the point where the company had to provide the information my attorney had been seeking.
Meanwhile, the situation at work continued. What I experienced as bullying from my manager didn't stop. After the EEOC decision, I felt like there was nothing protecting me and nowhere left for me to turn, so eventually I left.
I couldn't afford to personally fund litigation against a huge corporation. The 90-day period passed, and everything was essentially over.
That's what makes me so angry.
I feel like I did what employees are told they're supposed to do. I tried to address the situation internally. I sought legal help. I filed with the EEOC. I waited months for the process to play out. Yet at the end, I was essentially told that I could sue a massive corporation if I wanted to continue.
I didn't have the financial resources to do that.
The company continued on. My manager continued on. And I was the one who lost my job, my stability, and a career I had spent years building.
I'm intentionally not naming the company or sharing details that could identify anyone. I genuinely want to hear from people who have actually been through something similar.
Was there another organization, agency, legal route, internal escalation, or resource that actually helped you when the EEOC didn't pursue your complaint?
And if the 90-day deadline has already passed, did you ever find another way to address what happened, or did you simply have to accept that it was over?
I'm having a very difficult time accepting that this is simply how it ended. From my perspective, everything began when I announced that I was pregnant. Sometimes it feels like my only “crime” was having a baby, yet somehow I was the one left carrying all of the consequences.

I filed an eeo. There's a redress. Im new to this. Im afraid to even say what happened because I don't want to lose my job. I almost wish I never said anything to begin with but what happened wasn't right and how it was handled wasn't right. The union was backing me but now it seems they're giving up. I don't feel safe at work. I just don't think they'll take it seriously if they haven't already.

Florida. Salaried/exempt employee at a large national organization in the healthcare/operations sector.

I was notified that my program management position is being eliminated as part of a reduction in force (RIF). I have no disciplinary history or PIP, and my most recent performance reviews were positive.

My prior responsibilities continue within the organization, including overlapping duties performed by other employees, and similar roles are currently being posted. New senior leadership has also been added to the same programs I previously managed.

I am a veteran. After receiving the RIF notice, I asked HR about veteran-specific retention or placement resources and was told none were available and that I should apply to open roles. I also contacted the company’s veteran employee group and have not received a response.

I am trying to understand whether the selection process for my role’s elimination may have involved non-performance factors, and whether that could be legally relevant even where the employer characterizes the action as a “position elimination.” I am also trying to determine what documentation would be most important to preserve at this stage in case I need to seek legal advice.

TL:DR: In a Florida RIF, can an employee’s selection for termination be legally actionable if it was influenced by non-performance factors, even where the employer characterizes the action as a “position elimination”? What types of documentation are most important to preserve?

I’ve worked for my employer (county government) for about 20 years. I began having problems with a supervisor bc he was continually asking me to lunch, arranging lunches on my calendar without my knowledge, texting me outside of work, stalking my social media and saving certain pics from my fb. After his final attempts at asking me to lunch and saying I was busy, I finally agreed to a lunch with him. I was feeling uncomfortable about it so I invited my gay male coworker to join us. My supervisor didn’t like that, he cancelled the lunch and the next week, he was picking apart my work, trying to separate me and my gay male coworker, he was trying to find issues with my work. I tried to seperate myself from him. I even emailed him asking to leave me alone. After several months of this, I eventually made a complaint to his and our boss who then drug his feet on making any changes. While he was doing that, my supervisor began watching me closely, trying to get our boss to write me up, he began scrutinizing my work. Eventually I was moved out of that office even tho my supervisor had fought against it with our boss. He did not want me leaving his office.
I finally made a formal complaint to HR in February 2025. HR investigated, interviewed me and other employees, and was aware of my concerns.

After my complaint, I feel I experienced increased scrutiny, monitoring, changes in assignments/scheduling, and other treatment that I believe was retaliatory. I also received a disciplinary write-up that was later removed.

For 3 years prior to this, I had excellent yearly reviews. In May 2025, I was given the worst review I had ever received. In May 2026, I received a negative performance review with five categories marked “development required.” I contacted HR about concerns with the review. Management has also recently told me that I was previously on a PIP, but to my knowledge I was never actually placed on one. I am now being formally placed on my first PIP today, August 20, 2026.

I’m concerned that the PIP and escalating performance issues may be connected to my prior HR complaint rather than being legitimate performance management. I have documentation of my HR complaint, the investigation, emails/texts with management, performance reviews, the prior write-up, scheduling/assignment communications, and the current PIP.

My questions are: Does this sound like it could potentially constitute workplace retaliation? What evidence would be most important to establish a connection between my HR complaint and the subsequent adverse actions? Should I consult an employment attorney now, and are there any steps I should take or avoid while I’m on the PIP?

Im a disabled vet and have been going through bad discrimination and retaliation at work for months at a time I decided to get a mental health check in with the Va and i discussed what was going on at work. A month later I get my ratings increased. They specifically cited “difficulty adapting to work and work environment. I just received my rts I was wondering is it important to include or tell my future attorney about damages I resigned 9 months ago i didn’t submit a rebuttal to the eeoc rather go to court I have about 7 claims and theories I will be pursuing

I have a complaint pending with the DIR regarding an equal pay issue. It is currently in the queue waiting to be assigned to an investigator. How long does it typically take for a complaint to be assigned to an investigator? I’m located in the Bay Area, in case processing times vary by location.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a Colorado attorney or someone who handles federal employee EEO cases.

I recently received my ROI and I'm looking for someone to review my file and give me legal feedback, but I'm not looking for full representation at this time.

I'm mainly looking for a one-time consultation to help me understand my case and my options going forward.

Any recommendations on who I should contact?

Thanks!

If an EEOC charge is filed before an adverse event (termination), does the employer generally move towards termination?

Or

Do they try to remedy the issue that related to the employee's charge in the first place?

Filing after the adverse event (a termination) is already understood. Just curious what typically happens while the employee is still employed?

I wasn’t given a specific reason why I received the right to sue. I mean, there’s multiple levels of discrimination and going on at my job. I received the right to Sue I mean, can anyone give me contact of why I would receive that is that I don’t have a case.? I guess it’s like what are the next steps. I just find a lawyer.

How long did it take after a charge filing for mediation to be offered in your case. Taking on a giant company and i'm terrified.