Under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, discrimination is illegal in business, credit, education, employment, housing, public accommodations and public services. These are called “protected areas.” Employment: where you work, or a job you are applying for. Housing: renting an apartment, or buying a house.
Yes, in Minnesota, you can sue for emotional distress.
A complaint needs to be filed with MNOSHA Compliance within 30 days of the adverse employment action. For more information, contact MNOSHA Compliance, Discrimination, at discrimination.dli@state.mn, 651-284-5051 or 877-470-6742.
But workers in Minnesota may be surprised to learn that there are not many situations in which you can sue an employer for negligence at the workplace that results in an injury. Instead, workplace negligence most frequently results in a workers' compensation claim.
While hostile environments may be perpetuated by individual actors, toxicity often reflects deeper-rooted cultural norms and business-wide dysfunction.
Hostile Work Environment: Under the MHRA, a hostile work environment occurs when unwelcome conduct based on a protected characteristic becomes severe or pervasive enough to interfere with an individual's work performance or create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
Legal Standards for a Hostile Work Environment Claim To establish a valid claim under Minnesota law, the following criteria must generally be met: Protected Class. The harassment or discrimination must be based on a characteristic protected under federal or state law, such as race, gender or disability.