A school administrator, who had served a New Jersey municipality for several years, filed a complaint alleging he was terminated after experiencing discrimination related to his sexual orientation. The plaintiff, who was represented by R. Armen McOmber, recently agreed to settle the matter against the Board of Education for more than $300,000.

The plaintiff, who now serves as a principal for another New Jersey school district, filed a complaint in June 2017 against the Edison Board of Education and others, claiming his contract was not renewed because he is openly gay. Both parties have agreed to a settlement of $307,500 to be paid to the plaintiff.

A Step Forward for LGBTQ Rights

There are many instances in academics in which professionals who have been discriminated against because of sexual preference have prevailed. Some examples include:

• This year, a lesbian adjunct math professor in Indiana successfully settled a case against the college that had employed her for 14 years for denying her a full-time position and promotion because of her sexual orientation.
• In 2017, a transgender woman was awarded over $1 million after being demeaned and denied tenure at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where she was employed, despite her stellar performance.
• In Somerset County, New Jersey, a vocational and technical high school Spanish teacher agreed to a $110,000 settlement because the school did nothing to stop the harassment he experienced from students for being gay.

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) makes it illegal to discriminate against an employee based on their sexual orientation. The NJLAD is also designed to protect workers against workplace discrimination that is based on sex, race, religion, national original, disability, and age. There has been an increasing amount of support for finding that sex discrimination should include sexual orientation discrimination, since this type of discrimination is based on gender stereotypes.

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Red Bank Employment Lawyers at McOmber McOmber & Luber, P.C. Protect the Rights of LGBTQ Employees

The dedicated Red Bank employment lawyers at McOmber McOmber & Luber, P.C. provide representation to employers and employees in a broad range of employment law matters. Please call us today at 732-842-6500 or contact us online to learn more about our firm or to schedule a free initial consultation to discuss your case. Our offices are centrally located in Newark, Marlton and Red Bank, New Jersey, and we proudly serve clients throughout the state, including those in Cherry Hill and Middletown.