A. A cause of action for employment-based discrimination is hereby created and any common law remedies are hereby abolished.

B. In order to have standing in a court of law to allege discrimination arising from an employment-related matter, in a cause of action against an employer for discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information with respect to the employee, or retaliation, an aggrieved party must, within one hundred eighty (180) days from the last date of alleged discrimination, file a charge of discrimination in employment with the Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging the basis of discrimination believed to have been perpetrated on the aggrieved party. Upon completion of any investigation, the Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement may transmit the results of any administrative hearing and determination to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or issue the complaining party a Notice of a Right to Sue.

C. Should a charge of discrimination be filed with the Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement and not be resolved to the satisfaction of the charging party within one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of filing of such charge, the Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement, upon request of any party shall issue a Notice of a Right to Sue, which must be first obtained in order to commence a civil action under this section.

D. All civil actions brought pursuant to a Notice of a Right to Sue from the Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement for redress against any person who is alleged to have discriminated against the charging party and against any person named as respondent in the charge shall be commenced in the district court of this state for the county in which the unlawful employment practice is alleged to have been committed.

E. Either party in any such action shall be entitled to a jury trial of any facts in dispute in the action.

F. The defending party may allege any defense that is available under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

G. If it is determined in such action that the defendant or defendants in such action have discriminated against the charging party as charged in the petition, the court may enjoin the defendant or defendants from engaging in such unlawful employment practice charged in the petition, the court may enjoin respondent from engaging in such unlawful practice and order such affirmative action as reinstatement or hiring of employees. A prevailing aggrieved party shall also be entitled to backpay and an additional amount as liquidated damages. Interim earnings or amounts earnable with reasonable diligence by the person discriminated against shall operate to reduce the backpay otherwise allowable. If an individual was refused employment or advancement, was suspended and/or was discharged for legitimate reasons other than discrimination as provided by this act, then no order of the court shall require the hiring, reinstatement or promotion of that individual as an employee, nor shall it order payment of any backpay.

H. In any action or proceeding under this section, the court may allow a prevailing plaintiff or defendant a reasonable attorney fee.

I. No action may be filed in district court as provided in this section more than ninety (90) days after receiving a Notice of a Right to Sue from the Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement.

Added by Laws 2011, c. 270, § 11, eff. Nov. 1, 2011. Amended by Laws 2013, c. 214, § 5, emerg. eff. May 7, 2013.