Employment Litigation
Discrimination Claims
Title VII applies to employers with fifteen or more employees and covers hiring, firing, compensation, and terms of employment. It reaches disparate treatment and disparate impact, and prohibits retaliation for protected activity.
Administrative exhaustion is a prerequisite to suit.
Alternative Names:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act|Civil Rights Act Title VII
Why it Matters?
The fifteen-employee threshold and the exhaustion requirement are the two threshold defenses examined first, since a small employer or an unexhausted claim ends the case without reaching the merits. Coverage of sexual orientation and gender identity was resolved by Bostock, which eliminated a defense some employers previously raised. Damages caps tied to employer size limit compensatory and punitive recovery, though back pay falls outside them.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Which employers does Title VII cover?
Are damages capped?
