Employment Discrimination Claims in Austin, Texas
Discrimination at work — because of your race, national origin, age, disability, religion, or sexual orientation — is illegal. And Texas may give you as little as 180 days to act. How deadlines work ↓
Protected at work
$23.5M
Settlement · 150 women · sexual harassment
$15M
Jury verdict · Hender v. Nike · gender pay discrimination · 2026
Prior results don't guarantee a similar outcome.
Reviewed by Craig J. Ackermann, admitted in Texas · Bar No. 24001620
Discrimination at an Austin workplace — because of race, national origin, disability, age (40+), or religion — is illegal under Texas Labor Code Chapter 21 (employers with 15+) and federal law. The Texas window is short: 180 days with the Texas Workforce Commission, 300 with the EEOC. Austin's city ordinance adds local sexual-orientation and gender-identity protection.
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
- The 'legacy engineers' over 40 keep getting 'reorganized' out while the team hires bootcamp grads. The law calls it → age discrimination in restructuring (40+)
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.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal. Here's the whole process — and what we handle for you at each step.
- A free, confidential consultation. Usually 15 minutes. You tell us what happened; we tell you honestly whether you may have a case and which deadlines apply to you. If we're not the right fit, we say so.
- We build the record. We help you preserve what matters — texts, emails, schedules, reviews, witness names — and identify your available claims under Texas and federal law.
- We handle the filings. Agency complaints have strict formats and unforgiving deadlines. We draft and file with the right agency — state, federal, or both — so nothing lapses while you keep living your life.
- We negotiate from strength. Most matters resolve without a trial — through demand letters and negotiated settlements covering lost pay, emotional distress, and — where negotiable — terms addressing references and future employment.
- If they won't make it right, we litigate. We've taken cases to trial when employers won't make it right. Ask us how fees and case costs work before you decide anything.
How long do you have to file a workplace discrimination claim in Austin?
The controlling clock is 180 days — to file with the twc — general discrimination. Every route has its own deadline, and they start from different events:
Texas workplace discrimination filing deadlines · last reviewed 2026-06-10
- To file with the TWC — general discrimination 180 days
180 days for general discrimination/harassment (Sec. 21.202(a)); 300 days for SEXUAL HARASSMENT (Sec. 21.202(a-1), added by HB 21, eff. Sept. 1, 2021). Untimely complaints SHALL be dismissed (Sec. 21.202(b)).
Tex. Lab. Code Ann. ch. 21 - To file with the federal EEOC 300 days
300 days for Title VII claims (Texas is a deferral state — TWC Civil Rights Division is the state FEPA)
eeoc.gov - To sue after the state clears you 60 days
60 days from right-to-sue notice (Sec. 21.254); TWC must notify complainant if unresolved at 180 days (Sec. 21.208)
Tex. Lab. Code Ann. ch. 21
| Route | Deadline | The fine print | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| To file with the TWC — general discrimination | 180 days | 180 days for general discrimination/harassment (Sec. 21.202(a)); 300 days for SEXUAL HARASSMENT (Sec. 21.202(a-1), added by HB 21, eff. Sept. 1, 2021). Untimely complaints SHALL be dismissed (Sec. 21.202(b)). | Tex. Lab. Code Ann. ch. 21 |
| To file with the federal EEOC | 300 days | 300 days for Title VII claims (Texas is a deferral state — TWC Civil Rights Division is the state FEPA) | eeoc.gov |
| To sue after the state clears you | 60 days | 60 days from right-to-sue notice (Sec. 21.254); TWC must notify complainant if unresolved at 180 days (Sec. 21.208) | Tex. Lab. Code Ann. ch. 21 |
Texas Labor Code Chapter 21, "Employment Discrimination" (commonly known as the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act / TCHRA)
Tex. Lab. Code Ann. ch. 21
Covers workplace discrimination claims at employers with 15 or more employees (race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, religion).
Full Texas workplace discrimination law: deadlines, damages & agencies →What mistakes end Austin cases before they start?
- Discrimination claims in Texas get 180 days at the TWC — the statute orders late complaints dismissed.
- The 300-day clock on race, age, disability, or religion is the federal EEOC window — the Texas state (TWC) discrimination deadline is just 180 days, and the TWC's own 300-day window is sexual-harassment-only.
- Texas requires the agency step first — court comes after the TWC, never instead of it.
- Austin's city ordinance runs on its own clock — confirm it with the city office before relying on it.
Where do workplace discrimination claims arise in Austin?
The law protects workers across industries — and these are real, public enforcement actions in and around Austin, not hypotheticals. The EEOC's Select Task Force identified workplace risk factors that map directly onto Austin's economy: decentralized workplaces, significant power disparities, customer-facing work, alcohol-centric venues, and young workforces.
- Race / national origin EEOC v. Austin Foam Plastics (W.D. Tex., Austin Division): $600,000 settlement (October 2010) of a suit alleging African-American employees were subjected to racially offensive comments, jokes, and images that denigrated them — part of a combined harassment case in which the EEOC also alleged sexual harassment and the firing of a worker who complained. source ↗
- Statewide — every industry Texas workers filed 6,990 EEOC charges in FY 2022 — about 9.5% of all charges in the country. Retaliation appeared in 58% of Texas charges. source ↗
These are government enforcement actions by the EEOC — not this firm's cases. They show how the law is enforced locally; results vary with the facts.
Where do you file a workplace discrimination claim in Austin?
State · TWC CRDTexas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division
Federal · EEOCEEOC San Antonio Field Office
There is no EEOC office in Austin — Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, and Caldwell counties are served by the San Antonio Field Office. Most Austinites file online via the EEOC Public Portal.
Legacy Oaks, Building A, 5410 Fredericksburg Road, Suite 200San Antonio, TX 78229
1-800-669-4000
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday EEOC Public Portal →
CourtTravis County Civil District Courts
1700 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 854-9457
Federal (Title VII): U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas — Austin Division, 501 West Fifth Street, Suite 1100
Bonus venue · cityCity of Austin Civil Rights Division (Office of Equity and Inclusion)
Austin has its own civil rights office (created 2020) enforcing the city's anti-discrimination ordinance (City Code Ch. 5-3). Its main value: broader protected classes (Austin codified sexual orientation and gender identity protections before state law) and a local venue. Note: per the city’s complaint form, city complaints follow a 180-day window (300 days for sexual harassment) — confirm current rules with the office.
(512) 974-3251
The filing path, step by step
- Document the pattern — dates, comments, who was promoted or kept, accommodation requests. Texas deadlines are short and mandatory.
- File with the TWC Civil Rights Division online via EDISS (or by mail to 101 E 15th St) within 180 days, or the EEOC within 300. Charges dual-file.
- City option: Austin's Civil Rights Division (512-974-3251) — broader protected classes; per the city's complaint form, 180 days (300 for sexual harassment).
- After a right-to-sue notice: 60 days for a state-law suit in the Travis County Civil District Courts; a federal Title VII suit has 90 days, in the W.D. Tex. Austin Division.
Real verdicts and recoveries in workplace harassment and discrimination cases.
$15 million
1 plaintiff · Gender pay & promotion discrimination — jury verdict (punitive damages under federal + Oregon law)
Athletic apparel · 2026
$1.3 million
19 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
Construction · 2021
$1 million
27 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
Construction · 2020
$725,000
14 individuals · Racial harassment (14 individual arbitrations)
Manufacturing (paint) · 2025
Dozens of additional sexual harassment matters resolved in the $100,000–$400,000 range.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
The attorney behind this page.
You'll talk to real people at our firm — not a call center. This page is reviewed by an attorney licensed in Texas.
Craig J. Ackermann
TEXAS BAR NO. 24001620
Craig Ackermann focuses on sexual and racial harassment cases, with more than two decades of employment law and class action experience.
Full bio →Our firm represents employees in Austin through attorneys licensed in Texas. We maintain physical offices in Beverly Hills, California and Tacoma, Washington. We do not maintain a physical office in Austin unless expressly stated. Consultations may be available by phone, video, or by arrangement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Also from our Austin team
Facing sexual harassment instead — or both? Austin sexual harassment guide →
Asked by Austin workers.
I'm the only Black engineer on my Austin team and the 'jokes' never stop — is that illegal?
Yes. Race-based harassment and discrimination violate Texas Labor Code Chapter 21 at employers with 15 or more employees and federal Title VII. You have only 180 days to file with the Texas Workforce Commission — far shorter than sexual harassment's 300. Austin's thin-HR startups are not exempt; document the pattern and act early.
At 50 I keep getting passed over at Austin startups for 'culture fit' — is that age discrimination?
It can be. The federal ADEA and Texas Chapter 21 protect workers 40 and older (the ADEA needs 20+ employees; Chapter 21 reaches employers with 15+). 'Culture fit,' 'digital native,' or 'energy' language and being passed over for much younger hires can be evidence. File with the Texas Workforce Commission within 180 days, and gather who was promoted and their ages.
My Austin employer ignored my disability accommodation request — what are my rights?
Texas Chapter 21 and the federal ADA require employers with 15 or more workers to provide reasonable accommodations and engage in good faith. Ignoring a request, then disciplining you, can be unlawful. File the state charge within 180 days and the ADA claim with the EEOC (300 days).
Am I protected from discrimination for being transgender at my Austin job?
Yes. After the Supreme Court's Bostock decision, federal Title VII treats it as sex discrimination, enforced by the EEOC across Texas (300-day window). Austin goes further — the city codified sexual-orientation and gender-identity protections, enforced by its Office of Civil Rights, though the city window is much shorter.
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