10.1 Civil Rights-Title VII-Disparate Treatment-When Evidence Supports "Sole Reason" or "Motivating Factor" is a form of unlawful employment discrimination. This type of discrimination occurs when an employer makes an employment decision, such as hiring, firing, or discipline, based solely on a protected characteristic, such as race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. This type of discrimination is also known as "direct discrimination" or "intentional discrimination". Additionally, if an employer's decision is based on a protected characteristic as one of the multiple motivating factors, this is also considered to be unlawful disparate treatment. There must be evidence to support the claim that the protected characteristic was the sole reason or a motivating factor for the employer's decision in order for a claim to be successful.