Associational Discrimination Recognized in Massachusetts
Oftentimes employers discriminate against employees because of the company they keep. On July 19, 2013 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court emphatically held that employers who discriminate against their employees because those employees have a relationship with someone who is disabled have violated Massachusetts law. For now, this case appears to be limited to the immediate family context (e.g., husband-wife relationships) but will likely be expanded further as time goes by. MLL sees this most frequently when employers terminate an employee because that employee’s loved one suffers from an expensive or time-consuming disability. MLL fought for these types of employees long before this case appeared, but will do so now knowing that it has this recent case in its arsenal. For more information, contact the skilled legal team of MA Employment Lawyers today. (Tags: Discrimination)
