Last year, employees filed more retaliation claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) than any other type of charge–the first time retaliation has held the top spot among workplace discrimination claims. It’s a trend that’s likely to accelerate in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Jan. 24 decision in Thompson v. North American Stainless.
In that unanimous decision, the court held that an employee who was fired shortly after his fianc?e filed a discrimination claim may sue under Title VII for third-party retaliation. The court thereby expanded the potential universe of people filing retaliation claims to include not only employees who engage in protected activity under Title VII, but also everyone with a close association to someone who is protected.
