The employee must first present evidence that he is a member of a protected class, he was qualified for the position he held, he suffered an adverse employment action such as being fired, and that he was replaced with another worker who is not a member of that protected class.
Again, there are three elements employees have to prove: First: The employee engaged in protected activity. Second: The employer took an adverse employment action against the employee. Third: The employer took against the employee because of the protected activity.
However, discrimination is a state of mind and, therefore, notoriously hard to prove. Sophisticated employers are well aware that discrimination is illegal. Thus, most cases are established through circumstantial evidence.
If you believe your employment rights have been violated you can either call the Disability Law Center, file a complaint with the Utah AntiDiscrimination and Labor Division (UALD), or file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee (EEOC).
If you've experienced unlawful discrimination, you can complain to the person or organisation who's discriminated against you. You can also make a discrimination claim in the civil courts. Read this page to find out what you should do before you take action about unlawful discrimination.
For example, depending on the facts, it could be retaliation if an employer acts because of the employee's EEO activity to: reprimand the employee or give a performance evaluation that is lower than it should be; transfer the employee to a less desirable position; engage in verbal or physical abuse;
A proactive anti-retaliation program is designed to (1) receive and respond appropriately to employees' compliance concerns (i.e., concerns about hazards or potential employer violations of one of the 22 laws) and (2) prevent and address retaliation against employees who raise or report concerns.
It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee because he or she has opposed any type of discriminatory treatment or because he or she has filed charges, testified, assisted or participated in any proceeding, investigation or hearing alleging discriminatory treatment protected by the law.