Were you discriminated against at work in Spokane?
Being treated worse because of who you are, in pay, promotion, discipline, scheduling or termination, may be unlawful. Retaliation after you objected or reported it may be unlawful too.
If your workplace rights were violated, you may be able to pursue compensation for lost pay or emotional harm, and hold your employer accountable.
Not sure whether it was "serious enough"? You can request a review even if you never reported it to HR or are still employed.
What discrimination actually looks like, and what the law calls it.
Discrimination is rarely a single dramatic act. It's the pattern, the 'jokes,' the passed-over promotion, the accommodation that never comes, the sudden performance problem after you spoke up. The legal test is whether a protected trait drove how you were treated.
The 'nicknames' are slurs. Everyone laughs, so I'm supposed to laugh too.
The law calls it → racial or national-origin harassment
- Since I started wearing a hijab, I'm suddenly 'not a culture fit' for client meetings. The law calls it → religious discrimination
- They call me 'grandpa' in standups and gave the project I built to someone half my age. The law calls it → age-based harassment and discrimination (40+)
- I asked for a simple schedule change for my disability. Months later, still nothing, and now I'm 'unreliable.' The law calls it → failure to accommodate a disability
- I reported the slurs to HR. Two weeks later my performance was suddenly a problem. The law calls it → retaliation, illegal even if the original complaint isn't proven, as long as it was made in good faith
- After I disclosed my disability, my Spokane employer suddenly decided the job 'wasn't a fit' and cut my hours. The law calls it → disability discrimination / failure to accommodate
These cover race and national origin, disability (and accommodations), age (40 and over), religion (and accommodations), sex and pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity, in any industry. If something here is familiar, you don't have to be sure before you ask.
Illustrative situations, not client accounts.
Workplace discrimination in Spokane, by race, national origin, disability, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, is prohibited by Washington's WLAD at employers with eight or more workers. File with the Human Rights Commission's downtown Spokane office within six months, or sue directly in court within three years. State-law damages are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.
What could taking action help you pursue?
Depending on the facts, legal action may help recover financial losses, address emotional harm, restore employment opportunities, or require workplace changes. Available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law; no outcome is guaranteed.
Recover what you lost
Lost pay, benefits, hours, and employment opportunities tied to the unlawful conduct.
Address the harm
Compensation for emotional distress may be available where the law provides for it.
Restore an opportunity
Some cases may involve reinstatement, promotion, corrected records, or another job-related remedy.
Create accountability
A resolution may include policy changes, training, or other corrective workplace action.
You do not need a perfect record, or even to know whether what happened was illegal, before asking what your options are.
Common concerns we hear from employees
I never reported it to HR.
You may still have legal options. Not reporting immediately does not automatically end your rights, although the specific facts can affect a claim.
I don't have screenshots or witnesses.
You do not need a complete evidence file before contacting us. We can help identify texts, emails, schedules, witnesses, and other evidence that may matter.
I still work there.
You can ask questions while still employed. Retaliating against a worker for opposing unlawful conduct or asserting protected rights may itself be unlawful.
It was a customer or client, not a coworker.
In some circumstances, an employer may be responsible for the conduct of supervisors, coworkers, customers, clients, or other third parties.
Brian Denlinger
Shareholder · Admitted in Washington
Brian Denlinger represents employees in Washington discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-and-hour matters. He is licensed in Washington and Colorado.
Read Brian's full bio →Real verdicts and recoveries in harassment and discrimination cases.
$15 million
1 plaintiff · Gender pay & promotion discrimination, jury verdict (punitive damages under federal + Oregon law)
Jury verdict, subject to post-trial proceedings. Not a settlement or a collected recovery.
$1.3 million
19 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
$1 million
27 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
$725,000
14 individuals · Racial harassment (14 individual arbitrations)
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal.
- 01
Talk with us
A short initial conversation about what happened and when.
- 02
We assess the record
We identify possible claims, deadlines and evidence that may matter.
- 03
If we take the case
We handle the filing strategy, negotiations and litigation.
Deadlines can depend on where and how you file
Washington and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, to file a discrimination or harassment complaint with the Washington State Human Rights Commission.
WSHRC, File a Complaint ↗Generally, to sue directly in court under Washington's Law Against Discrimination; no agency filing is required first.
Often, to file an EEOC charge when the claim is also covered by state or local anti-discrimination law.
EEOC, How to File a Charge ↗Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
Full Washington workplace discrimination law: deadlines, damages & agencies → Washington law: deadlines & agencies →Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Deadlines and filing issues for workers in Spokane.
- The WSHRC's 6-month window is short, but Washington's 3-year direct-suit route means a missed agency deadline is a detour, not a dead end.
- The federal EEOC clock is 300 days and runs independently of every Washington option.
- Spokane's federal venue is the Eastern District of Washington, not the Western District that covers Seattle and Tacoma.
- An NDA can't gag discrimination in Washington, the Silenced No More Act voids those clauses, with a $10,000 minimum penalty plus fees.
Local filing and enforcement information for Spokane workers.
The sources below are public agency actions and filing information, not this firm's cases. They illustrate how claims have been handled and do not predict the outcome of another matter.
- Religion / accommodation, Spokane EEOC and Passages Family Support (Spokane): a $95,000 pre-litigation settlement (2024) after a mental-health therapist was denied a religious accommodation that conflicted with a job requirement and then fired, the agency also required the clinic to build a religious-accommodation process and train its managers and HR staff. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the EEOC, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for Spokane follow below.
Where do you file a workplace discrimination claim in Spokane?
Washington State Human Rights Commission
Headquarters (Olympia)711 S. Capitol Way, Suite 402
Olympia, WA 98501
1-800-233-3247
WSHRC has no Seattle office. It operates from its Olympia headquarters, with offices in Spokane, Union Gap, and East Wenatchee. File online or by mail with Olympia HQ.
File online →EEOC Seattle Field Office
The Seattle Field Office covers all of Washington, including Spokane and Eastern Washington, there is no EEOC office in Spokane. Most workers file online.
Federal Office Building, 909 First Avenue, Suite 400Seattle, WA 98104-1061
1-800-669-4000 EEOC Public Portal →
Spokane County Superior Court
Spokane County Courthouse1116 West Broadway Avenue
Spokane, WA 99260
The filing path, step by step
- 1Write down the pattern, who was promoted, who was let go, the dates of any accommodation requests, and the exact words used.
- 2File with the Washington Human Rights Commission within 6 months, its Spokane district office is downtown at 1330 N. Washington Street, or sue directly under WLAD within 3 years with no agency filing.
- 3No city agency handles private employment claims in Spokane; the federal route is the EEOC, whose Seattle Field Office covers Eastern Washington (300 days).
- 4Lawsuits go to Spokane County Superior Court (1116 W. Broadway Avenue) or the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in Spokane.
Employment discrimination information in other Washington cities
- BellevueEmployment-discrimination information
- SeattleEmployment-discrimination information
- TacomaEmployment-discrimination information
Asked by Spokane workers.
I asked for a religious accommodation at my Spokane job and got fired, is that legal?
No. WLAD requires employers with 8 or more employees to reasonably accommodate sincere religious practices, and firing you instead can be religious discrimination and retaliation. The EEOC pursued exactly this against a Spokane clinic. File with the Human Rights Commission within 6 months or sue directly within 3 years; state-law damages are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.
Pushed out of a Spokane hospital or university job at 55 for someone younger, is that age discrimination?
It can be. WLAD protects workers 40 and older at employers with 8 or more employees. Reorg lists that skew toward older staff, 'we need fresh energy,' or being moved to a dead-end role can be evidence. You have 6 months at the Human Rights Commission or 3 years to sue directly, and state-law remedies are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.
My Spokane employer won't accommodate my disability, what are my rights?
WLAD requires employers with 8 or more employees to reasonably accommodate disabilities, with a broader definition than federal law. File with the Human Rights Commission within 6 months, its Spokane office is downtown, or sue directly within 3 years. State-law damages are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule, and Washington voids NDAs that hide discrimination.
Slurs about my race or accent are constant on my Spokane crew, is that illegal?
Yes. WLAD bars race and national-origin harassment and discrimination at employers with 8 or more employees, and warehouse, shop-floor, and service crews are recognized risk settings. You have 6 months at the Human Rights Commission or 3 years to sue directly, missing the agency window doesn't end a Washington case. State-law damages are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.