Ohio ( OH ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace

August 24th, 2006 Posted by Karen

My research into employment discrimination laws in the workplace within the United States has inevitably taken me to Ohio. This state’s employment discrimination laws in the workplace do not have much expansion on the standards set by the federal employment discrimination laws in the workplace.

Ohio’s employment discrimination laws in the workforce make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, handicap, national origin, race, religion, or sex. These statues also make smaller businesses (4 or more employees) accountable where the federal government only holds businesses with 15 or more employees accountable and age discrimination cases are eligible for more compensation for damages than other discrimination cases.

Claims in Ohio can be filed with one of two agencies: the state agency, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC), or the federal agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). These agencies will work together to resolve you claim as long as you file in one agency and request that your claim be cross-filed with the other. The EEOC can be contacted at one of two offices: Cincinnati Phone: (513) 684-2851 or TTY: (513) 684-2074, and Cleveland Phone: (216) 522-2001 or TTY: (216) 522-8441. The OCRC can be contacted at one of the following office:

  • Columbus
    Phone: (614) 466-2785
    Toll-Free: (888) 278-7101
  • Akron
    Phone: (330) 643-3100
    TTY: (330) 643-3100
    Counties served: Wayne, Summit, Stark, Portage, Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana, Knox, Holmes, Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Jefferson, Harrison
  • Cincinnati
    Phone: (513) 852-3344
    TTY: (513) 852-3344
    Counties served: Butler, Hamilton, Clermont, Clinton, Warren, Brown, Fayette, Highland, Adams, Pike, Scioto, Vinton, Jackson, Lawrence, Gallia, Meigs
  • Cleveland
    Phone: (216) 787-3150
    TTY: (216) 787-3150
    Counties served: Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula, Erie, Huron, Richland, Medina, Ashland
  • Columbus
    Phone: (614) 466-5928
    TTY: (614) 752-2391
    Counties Served: Franklin, Union, Madison, Delaware, Pickaway, Licking, Fairfield, Hocking, Muskingum, Perry, Athens, Morgan, Guernsey, Noble, Washington, Belmont, Monroe, Ross, Marion, Morrow
  • Dayton
    Phone: (937) 285-6500
    TTY: (937) 285-6500
    Counties Served: Darke, Preble, Shelby, Miami, Montgomery, Logan, Champaign, Clark, Greene, Van Wert, Mercer, Allen, Auglaize, Hardin
  • Toledo
    Phone: (419) 245-2900
    TTY: (419) 245-2900
    Counties Served: Williams, Defiance, Paulding, Fulton, Henry, Putnam, Lucas, Wood, Hancock, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot, Crawford

Claims through the OCRC must be filed within 180 days of the date of the discriminatory act while you have 300 days of this act to file with the EEOC. Because of the difference in deadlines it is best to first file through the OCRC and then have them cross-file your claim with the EEOC. File early to avoid delays due to legalities in the filing process as these delays can push your past the deadline. Retaining an attorney is a big help, but is not required.

If your claim is not resolved by these agencies, you may need to pursue it in court. Ohio does not require you to file with the OCRC before you file a case in the state courts, but the federal courts do require that you file your claim through the EEOC before you are able to file in the federal court system. Additionally, the EEOC must release your claim by giving you one of two documents: “Dismissal and Notice of Rights,” or “Right to Sue.” A claim filed in federal court must be filed within 90 days of receiving either of the above documents. Lawsuits filed in Ohio’s state court system have a 6 year time limit from the time the discriminatory act occurred unless your case is age related, in which case you have only 180 days.

Although Ohio does not really broaden federal laws concerning employment discrimination in the workplace, they do allow for a separate state agency to help with investigation and resolution of discrimination cases.

Last 10 posts by Karen

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Posted in Discrimination, Employment Laws, Hostile Environment, Ohio

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