If your employer has wrongfully terminated you, subjected you to discrimination, or retaliated against you for speaking up, you are facing one of the most stressful situations of your life. At Greenberg Gross LLP, we understand what is at stake.
Our Boston employment litigation lawyers represent employees in high-stakes employment litigation across Massachusetts and throughout the country.
When you need a trial-tested employment lawyer who will fight for you with skill, experience, and purpose, we are ready to stand beside you. Contact us today to discuss your legal options during a free consultation with our team.
Start your journey towards justice today by scheduling your free claim consultation
Why Choose the Boston Employment Litigation Lawyers at Greenberg Gross LLP
Greenberg Gross LLP is a trial firm built on a single principle: every client deserves representation at the highest level. Our founders, Alan Greenberg and Wayne Gross, were partners at one of the world's largest global law firms before launching Greenberg Gross with a clear sense of mission. That mission has never wavered.
Here is what sets us apart:
- Trial-tested experience: We do not settle for less just to close a file. Our lawyers are seasoned courtroom litigators who opponents take seriously, and that reputation regularly brings stronger settlements to our clients before trial even begins.
- Award-winning recognition: Our attorneys have earned recognition from Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell's AV Preeminent rating, the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and the Daily Journal's Top 100.
- High-stakes results: We have secured a $6.1 million whistleblower retaliation judgment, a $10 million breach of oral contract settlement, and a $50 million verdict on a counterclaim in a landmark case that inspired the founding of this firm.
- National reach, personal attention: With offices in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Nevada, California, Pennsylvania, and now serving clients in the Boston area, we bring sophisticated litigation capacity to our clients wherever they are.
We are not a volume shop. We are a firm of choice for employees whose cases demand serious legal firepower. If your employment rights have been violated, call us at (617) 800-9199 for a free, confidential consultation.
Massachusetts Employment Law: What You Need to Know
Massachusetts is one of the strongest states in the country when it comes to protecting employee rights. The Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA), Chapter 151B, prohibits workplace discrimination and harassment based on a broad range of protected characteristics.
This law applies to employers with six or more employees and covers conduct that creates a hostile work environment, interferes with your ability to do your job, or results in adverse employment action such as demotion, pay cuts, or termination.
Protected categories under Massachusetts law include:
- Race, color, and national origin
- Sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation
- Disability and perceived disability
- Age (40 and over)
- Religion and creed
- Pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions
- Military service
- Genetic information
Massachusetts law also provides protections that exceed federal standards in several important respects. For example, the state's disability protections are broader than those under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act imposes strict requirements on employers to ensure pay equity across gender lines.
These local nuances matter in employment litigation, and having a lawyer who understands them can make a real difference in the outcome of your case.
Types of Employment Cases We Handle in Boston
Our Boston employment litigation lawyers represent employees across a wide range of workplace disputes. No matter where you work in the Greater Boston area, whether in the Financial District, the Seaport, Cambridge, or anywhere across the state, we are prepared to take on your case.
Wrongful Termination
Massachusetts is an at-will employment state, which means an employer can generally terminate an employee for any reason or no reason at all. However, at-will employment has important limits.
Your employer cannot fire you because of your race, age, disability, or other protected characteristic. They cannot fire you in retaliation for reporting illegal conduct. And they cannot terminate you in violation of an employment contract or public policy.
If you were fired and something feels wrong about the circumstances, it is worth speaking with a Boston wrongful termination attorney. Many wrongful terminations are disguised as layoffs, performance issues, or restructuring when the real reason is something unlawful.
Workplace Discrimination
Discrimination does not always look like an obvious slur or an outright refusal to hire. It often shows up in subtler patterns:
- consistently passed over for promotions,
- excluded from important meetings,
- assigned less desirable shifts or accounts,
- given performance reviews that do not reflect your actual work
These patterns matter, and they can form the foundation of a strong discrimination claim.
Our Boston workplace discrimination attorneys understand how to investigate and document discrimination claims, identify patterns in employer conduct, and build cases that hold up in court.
Workplace Harassment and Hostile Work Environment
A hostile work environment is more than a difficult boss or a stressful job. Under Massachusetts law, workplace harassment rises to an actionable level when it is severe or pervasive enough to interfere with your ability to perform your work and is based on a protected characteristic.
Harassment can come from supervisors, coworkers, or even clients and vendors, and employers have a legal obligation to address it.
Common forms of harassment we handle include:
- Sexual harassment and unwanted advances
- Racial slurs, stereotyping, or racially charged comments
- Disability-related mockery or exclusion
- Age-based ridicule or marginalization
- Harassment tied to pregnancy, religion, or national origin
If your employer knew or should have known about the harassment and failed to act, they may be held legally responsible.
Whistleblower Retaliation
Massachusetts law protects employees who report illegal activity, safety violations, or misconduct in the workplace.
The Massachusetts Whistleblower Protection Act prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who report violations of law or participate in investigations. Federal whistleblower protections also apply in many contexts, including financial fraud, healthcare fraud, and environmental violations.
Retaliation can take many forms, including termination, demotion, pay reduction, increased scrutiny, reassignment to less desirable roles, or creating a hostile environment intended to push you out. If any of these have followed your report of misconduct, you may have a strong retaliation claim.
Our firm secured a $6.1 million whistleblower retaliation judgment, and we know how to build these cases.
Disability Discrimination and ADA Violations
If you have a disability or a medical condition that affects your work, your employer is required by both Massachusetts and federal law to provide reasonable accommodations as long as doing so does not create an undue hardship.
Reasonable accommodations can include modified schedules, remote work arrangements, reassignment to a different role, or changes to the physical workspace.
When employers fail to engage in the interactive accommodation process, deny reasonable requests, or use a disability as a basis for termination or demotion, they may be in violation of the law.
Pregnancy Discrimination and FMLA Violations
Becoming pregnant should not cost you your job. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying family and medical reasons, including the birth or adoption of a child.
Massachusetts law provides additional protections, including the right to take maternity leave and protections against discrimination related to pregnancy or childbirth.
If your employer demoted you, cut your pay, passed you over for a promotion, or terminated you because of your pregnancy or your FMLA leave, we want to hear your story.
Racial Discrimination
Racial discrimination in the workplace remains a serious and widespread problem. It can affect hiring, compensation, promotion, job assignments, performance evaluations, and the daily environment in which you work. Massachusetts law prohibits racial discrimination in all of these areas, and when employers violate that prohibition, they can be held accountable.
We approach racial discrimination cases with deep seriousness and genuine commitment to justice for our clients.
What You Can Recover in an Employment Lawsuit
When employers violate your rights, Massachusetts law provides meaningful remedies. Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, you may be entitled to:
- Back pay: Wages and benefits lost from the time of the unlawful action
- Front pay: Compensation for future lost earnings if reinstatement is not feasible
- Emotional distress damages: Compensation for the psychological harm caused by the discrimination or harassment
- Punitive damages: In cases involving particularly egregious conduct
- Attorney's fees: In many employment cases, your employer may be required to pay your legal fees if you prevail
- Reinstatement: Return to your position in appropriate cases
The value of an employment claim depends on many factors, including the strength of the evidence, the nature of the employer's conduct, and the extent of your losses. We evaluate every case individually and work to maximize the recovery for each client we represent.
We can help assess the strength of your case
The Process: Filing an Employment Claim in Massachusetts
Before filing a lawsuit in court, most Massachusetts employment discrimination claims require you to first file a charge with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This administrative step is an important legal prerequisite, and the timing matters.
In Massachusetts, you generally have 300 days from the date of the discriminatory act to file with the MCAD. Missing this deadline can bar your claim entirely. Once the administrative process runs its course, you may have the option to pursue your case in court.
This is one reason why speaking with a Boston employment litigation lawyer as soon as possible is so important. Evidence can be lost, witnesses can move on, and deadlines can pass faster than you expect. The sooner you reach out, the better positioned we are to protect your rights.
FAQs Answered by Our Boston Employment Litigation Lawyers
Here are answers to some of the questions we hear most often from employees considering legal action in Massachusetts.
How do I know if I have a valid employment discrimination claim?
A valid claim generally requires that you belong to a protected class, that you experienced an adverse employment action such as termination, demotion, or pay reduction, and that there is a connection between your protected characteristic and the adverse action.
An employment litigation attorney in Boston can evaluate the specific facts of your situation and help you understand whether your experience rises to the level of a legal claim.
How long do I have to file an employment discrimination claim in Massachusetts?
In most cases, you have 300 days from the date of the discriminatory act to file a charge with the MCAD. Some federal claims have different timelines. Because these deadlines are strict and unforgiving, contacting an attorney early is critical.
Can my employer retaliate against me for consulting a lawyer?
No. It is unlawful for your employer to retaliate against you for consulting an attorney, filing a complaint, or participating in any investigation or proceeding related to employment discrimination. If you experience retaliation after seeking legal help, that conduct itself may constitute a separate legal claim.
What is the difference between a hostile work environment and regular workplace conflict?
Not every difficult workplace situation rises to the level of a hostile work environment under the law. To be actionable, harassment must be based on a protected characteristic, such as race, sex, or disability, and must be severe or pervasive enough to alter the conditions of your employment.
Ordinary personality conflicts or a demanding boss do not typically meet this legal standard, but repeated, targeted conduct absolutely can.
Will my employment case go to trial?
Most employment cases resolve through settlement before trial. However, at Greenberg Gross LLP, we prepare every case as if it will go before a jury. Our trial reputation is one of the reasons our clients often achieve stronger settlements. We never let the desire to avoid trial drive our strategy. We let the strength of your case drive it.
Can I be fired for complaining about discrimination at work?
No. It is illegal for your employer to terminate or otherwise retaliate against you because you complained about discrimination, reported harassment, or participated in an investigation. This protection applies even if your underlying discrimination claim is ultimately not successful, as long as you made the complaint in good faith.
Do I need to be employed full-time to have an employment claim?
No. Part-time employees, contract workers in certain circumstances, and other non-traditional workers may still have protections under Massachusetts and federal employment law. The specific nature of your working relationship will affect which laws apply, but employment status alone does not automatically disqualify you from seeking relief.
Talk to a Boston Employment Litigation Attorney Today
Your career, your livelihood, and your dignity are worth fighting for. At Greenberg Gross LLP, we take employment cases seriously because we know what is at stake for our clients.
Our trial lawyers have secured multi-million-dollar results in employment matters, including a $6.1 million whistleblower retaliation judgment and a $10 million breach-of-contract settlement. We are recognized by Super Lawyers, rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, and named among the best litigation firms in the country.
If you believe your employer has violated your rights, we are here to listen. Call our Boston office at (617) 800-9199 for a free, confidential consultation with a trial-tested employment litigation lawyer. We will evaluate your situation honestly, explain your options clearly, and if we take your case, we will fight for you with everything we have.