Rochester Employment Law Attorneys

Possibly. If the layoff involved 50 or more employees, your employer may have been required to provide 90 days' notice under New York's WARN Act (which is stricter than the federal 60-day requirement). If you were selected for layoff based on age, race, gender, disability, or another protected characteristic while younger or less-protected employees were retained, you may have a discrimination claim. Our Rochester attorneys can analyze the circumstances of your layoff to determine your legal options.

Rochester workers commonly face age discrimination (particularly during corporate restructurings at legacy companies), healthcare worker exploitation and scheduling violations, wage theft in the food service and retail sectors, disability discrimination, and retaliation for reporting safety or compliance concerns. The city's transition from manufacturing to a service and knowledge economy has also generated displacement-related claims and WARN Act violations.

University of Rochester employees and staff have the same employment law protections as any worker under the NYSHRL and federal law. You can file a complaint with the university's internal Title IX or HR office, the NYSDHR, the EEOC, or pursue a lawsuit in state or federal court. Academic institutions are not exempt from anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws. Our attorneys have experience handling claims against educational institutions in the Rochester area.

Rochester workers can file with the NYSDHR (which accepts complaints statewide), the EEOC, the New York State Department of Labor for wage claims, or file a lawsuit in Monroe County Supreme Court or the Western District of New York federal court in Rochester. The best venue depends on your specific claims, the size of your employer, and your goals. Contact our attorneys for guidance.

Recovery depends on your specific claims. For discrimination and wrongful termination, you may recover back pay, front pay, compensatory damages for emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorney fees. For wage theft, you can recover unpaid wages, liquidated damages (up to double the amount owed under New York law), interest, and attorney fees. The NYSHRL does not cap compensatory or punitive damages, so significant recoveries are possible in strong cases.