Our
Practice
Areas
At Goddard Law, we focus exclusively on protecting employees from discrimination and retaliation, and protecting survivors of sexual assault. This is all we do, and we do it with skill, conviction, and an unwavering commitment to justice. We represent employees at every level of the workforce — from the factory floor to the boardroom — across every industry.
We also understand that challenging an unfair employer or abuser can feel overwhelming. Our attorneys guide clients through every step of the process, whether that means negotiating a resolution or taking a case all the way to trial. We are experienced advocates in mediation and arbitration, and when a case needs to be tried, we are fully prepared to fight in court. Our commitment is simple: we stand with employees and pursue justice in whatever manner best serves their needs. Below is an overview of the claims we handle. Contact Goddard Law today to learn more.
Discrimination,
Harassment & Retaliation
Employment discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee unfavorably because of a protected characteristic such as race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), religion, disability, age, or genetic information. Discrimination can affect every aspect of employment, from hiring and promotions to pay, assignments, discipline, and termination.
Retaliation occurs when an employer punishes an employee for asserting their rights — whether that means reporting discrimination or harassment, requesting a reasonable accommodation, participating in an investigation, or refusing to engage in unlawful conduct. It can take many forms, including termination, demotion, reduced hours, exclusion from opportunities, or sudden negative performance reviews.
At Goddard Law, we help employees understand their rights, gather evidence, and take action with clear guidance and strong advocacy every step of the way.
A hostile work environment exists when unwelcome conduct based on a protected characteristic — such as race, sex, national origin, religion, disability, or age — is severe or pervasive enough to make the workplace intimidating, abusive, or offensive. This can include sexual harassment, racial slurs, offensive jokes, threats, unwanted touching, or other degrading behavior by supervisors, coworkers, or customers. General bullying is not always unlawful, but harassment tied to a protected characteristic is.
At Goddard Law, we help employees understand whether what they are experiencing meets the legal standard for a hostile work environment and what steps they can take. We listen closely, gather evidence, and advocate with clarity and conviction to hold employers accountable.
Hostile Work
Environment
Sexual Harassment & Sexual Assault in the Workplace
Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, quid pro quo demands, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that affects an employee’s job, interferes with their ability to work, or creates a hostile or abusive environment. This can involve inappropriate comments, sexual jokes, unwanted touching, explicit messages, or any conduct targeting an employee because of their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy.
Sexual assault — including coerced sexual contact, groping, or any non-consensual physical act — is not only unlawful workplace harassment but a criminal offense. Employees often fear speaking up, but the law protects them from retaliation when they report harassment or assault, participate in an investigation, or refuse unwanted advances.
At Goddard Law, we support employees with compassion, clarity, and unwavering advocacy. We help clients understand their rights, document what happened, and take steps that protect both their safety and their careers.
Employees have the right to take protected leave for serious health conditions, pregnancy and childbirth, bonding with a new child, and caring for family members. Federal law — including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the ADA — prohibits employers from denying eligible employees leave, interfering with their ability to take it, or retaliating against them for using it.
Unlawful conduct can take many forms: refusing to approve qualifying leave, pressuring employees not to take it, cutting hours, changing job duties, denying promotions, or terminating an employee after they request or return from leave.
At Goddard Law, we review the full timeline of events, gather the evidence needed to show when an employer has crossed the line, and fight to hold them accountable.
Medical, Pregnancy, & Family Leaves
Wage &
Hour Law
State and federal law protect employees from being underpaid or paid unfairly. Employers often count on employees not knowing their rights — and violations can include unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, withheld tips, late paychecks, unpaid commissions, and misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime or as independent contractors.
At Goddard Law, we help employees identify where wage theft has occurred and recover what they are owed, including increased damages and attorneys’ fees where the law allows.
Employees play a critical role in exposing unlawful or unsafe practices in the workplace. Whistleblower laws protect employees who report illegal conduct, safety violations, fraud, wage theft, or other wrongdoing — whether they raise concerns internally, file a complaint with a government agency, participate in an investigation, or refuse to engage in illegal activity. Retaliation can include termination, demotion, reduced hours, or other actions meant to punish or silence them. These actions are unlawful.
At Goddard Law, we help clients document what happened, understand their rights under federal and state whistleblower protections, and take action to hold employers accountable. Employees who speak up deserve to be protected and we make sure they are.
Whistleblowing & Retaliation
Wrongful Termination
A termination is wrongful when an employer fires an employee for an unlawful reason. Most commonly, that means discrimination or retaliation — being fired because of your race, gender, age, disability, national origin, religion, pregnancy, or sexual orientation, or because you reported discrimination, requested an accommodation, took protected leave, or spoke up about unlawful conduct.
At Goddard Law, we review the full timeline, gather evidence, and identify whether your firing violated state or federal law. If it did, we will fight to hold your employer accountable.
Not every workplace problem fits neatly into a single category. Employees often come to us unsure whether what they experienced was discrimination, retaliation, or something else entirely — and that uncertainty is reason enough to call.
At Goddard Law, we take the time to understand what happened, identify the legal issues, and determine whether your experience may qualify as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, or another form of unlawful conduct. If something feels wrong at work, contact us and let our team take a look.