Types Of Employment Law Cases We Can Help You With

Our firm is fully focused on employment law in Iowa and Nebraska. Whether or not you know which law was broken, we can help you fight injustice and poor treatment at work. Our lawyers can help you address:

What Laws Protect You In The Workplace?

Here are a few of the laws we use to fight for our clients:

• Title VII: Prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, gender, religion, national origin, or pregnancy in employment settings.
• Equal Pay Act: Requires that employees performing generally the same job receive equal pay no matter their gender.
• Americans with Disabilities Act: Prohibits discrimination against employees with physical or mental impairments serious enough to substantially affect one or more of their major life activities.
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act: Prohibits workplace discrimination based on age against workers 40 and older.
• Private Sector Drug Testing Law: Requires employers to follow strict rules if they perform drug or alcohol testing.
• Family Medical Leave Act: Allows employees to up to 12 weeks off work per year for personal or family illnesses, or to care for new children.
• Fair Labor Standards Act: Provides nonexempt employees with minimum wage and time-and-one-half pay for overtime.
• Title IX: Prohibits sex discrimination by educational institutions against students, student-athletes, and employees.
• USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act): Prohibits discrimination at the workplace against those who serve in the military.
• Iowa Civil Rights Act: Prohibits discrimination and harassment based on age, sex, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
• Iowa Wage Payment Collection Law: Guarantees that employees get paid for their work and reimbursed for work-related expenses.
• Nebraska Fair Employment Act: Prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), disability, and marital status.
• Nebraska Age Discrimination in Employment Act: Prohibits workplace discrimination based on age.

Our attorneys have an in-depth knowledge of federal and state laws and your rights under those laws.

What Should You Do If You Think Your Rights Were Violated?

If you think you are being harassed or discriminated against, you should tell everyone you can think of that you want it to stop. This is easier said than done, because you may be worried about retaliation. But people who don’t try to actively stop harassment may find that the law does not give them a remedy. Reports in writing are best, especially via email, because those leave a record of dates and times you complained. Complain to your supervisor, your supervisor’s boss, human resources, and any corporate hotline. Keep complaining – even if it doesn’t seem to be doing any good. Documenting your complaints will help protect you from retaliation. Ask for an up-to-date copy of your personnel file. You are entitled to it under Iowa law. Your employer can charge you copying costs similar to what a copying store would charge. Save evidence, including copies of:

• Offensive or other relevant emails
• Gifts, letters, or cards given to you by the harasser
• Any physical evidence – we’ve seen nooses, written “jokes,” panties, offensive pictures, lewd calendars, etc.
• Photographs of offensive graffiti or other visual harassment
• Notes or diary entries you’ve made about the harassment or discrimination
• Complaints you’ve made, with your employer’s response
• Documents showing how good you are at your job, such as compliments from a customer or boss. Contact a lawyer as soon as possible to make sure you don’t miss any legal deadlines.

Deadlines for filing employment cases vary. For example, you must file a civil rights complaint within 300 days for most cases of harassment, retaliation, and discrimination in the workplace. Federal employees only have 45 days to contact their EEO officer with a complaint. Some claims have a two-year statute of limitation. Race discrimination or harassment claims may have a four-year deadline. The best course of action is to ask for legal advice as soon as you feel your rights may have been violated. All communication with our office is confidential, and you can seek help without your employer knowing.

How Will You Know If You Need A Lawyer?

At your initial meeting, we will help you determine what legal or administrative actions you can take, if any. We will also figure out if our team at Fiedler Law Firm is qualified and able to help with your case. If we can’t help you, we will gladly refer you to other law firms in the area that we know and trust or to a government agency that may be able to help.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire Fiedler Law Firm?

Most of the time, we take employment cases on a “contingency fee basis.” This means our fee is a percentage of what we’re able to recover for you. If you don’t recover damages, you don’t owe us any attorney fees. Win or lose, you will have to pay for the expenses of the lawsuit, like filing fees, photocopying, investigative costs, deposition expenses and other administrative costs that come up. Because we understand that you may have just been fired, we will work with you to make financial arrangements that are fair and feasible.

How Long Will Your Case Take To Resolve?

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this one. Each case is unique, and its length will depend on a variety of issues, like if the case can be settled without a trial, how many people are involved, and how complicated the legal issues are. Generally, after a lawsuit is filed, it takes anywhere from 12 to 24 months to get to trial, depending on the court.

How Much Is Your Employment Law Case Worth?

Without sounding too much “like a lawyer,” there is no foolproof way to predict what a case is worth. There are too many variables that affect the final outcome, and it’s impossible to predict what a jury will decide on any given day. Examples of what our clients commonly recover include medical and counseling expenses, past and future lost wages and employment benefits, and damages for emotional distress. Punitive damages are also sometimes awarded. Punitive damages do not exist to compensate you, but rather to punish those who violate the law and to deter others from doing so.

Talk To Our Experienced And Caring Attorneys About Your Employment Law Matter

With offices in Johnston, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, Fiedler Law Firm offers employment law representation to clients throughout both states. To discuss your legal matter with one of our skilled lawyers, you can call our Johnston, Iowa office at 515-303-8210 or our Omaha, Nebraska office at 402-281-3501. You can also reach us using our online contact form.