Louisville Workers’ Compensation Retaliation Lawyers
You reported a workplace injury, and now your employer treats you like a problem. Maybe your hours were cut, your shifts moved to nights or your job disappeared weeks after you filed a claim.
That treatment may violate Kentucky law. The attorneys at Kentucky Employment Lawyers bring decades of dedicated employment law experience in Louisville to workers punished for seeking benefits.
Fired Or Punished For Filing A Workers’ Comp Claim In Kentucky?
Firing you for filing workers’ comp in Kentucky may break the law. Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) 342.197 bans employers from bullying, pressuring, firing or treating workers unfairly for making a valid workers’ comp claim.
If you need a Louisville workers’ compensation retaliation lawyer, our lawyers take on the retaliation case, not the benefits claim, as part of our Kentucky employment law practice.
Recognizing Workers’ Compensation Retaliation Under KRS 342.197
Kentucky workers’ comp retaliation is not always a pink slip. Watch for these signs:
- Termination: Your employer fires you soon after you report an injury. Close timing often signals an unlawful motive.
- Pay cuts: Your wages drop without explanation.
- Reduced hours: Your shifts shrink along with your paycheck.
- Undesirable shift changes: You are moved to overnight or weekend work without a business reason.
- Hostile work environment: Supervisors ridicule, threaten or isolate you over your claim.
Employers usually offer another reason, but timing and records can show what happened. Our overview of employer retaliation covers other protected activity.
What To Do If Your Employer Retaliates Against You
Act fast, because memories fade and records can vanish. Write down every change to your pay, schedule or tasks, including the date and the name of the person who told you. Save texts, emails and job reviews, and keep copies somewhere outside your work accounts.
Ask for a copy of your employee file and any written warnings. Note which coworkers saw how your employer treated you since their stories can back up yours. Keep your medical records and claim papers together, too.
Compensation And Legal Remedies Available To Injured Workers
A KRS 342.197 lawsuit may win back pay for lost wages and benefits, plus front pay when you cannot go back. Courts may also award money for emotional harm and, when an employer acted with spite, punitive damages. The law also lets you get back court costs and fair attorney fees.
If your employer fired you, our page on wrongful termination claims explains other options.
Get Answers About Your Workers’ Comp Retaliation Case
Retaliation puts your income at risk while you heal. Call us at 502-791-9296 or schedule your free consultation, where our lawyers look at what happened and explain your choices. We help injured workers in Louisville and across Kentucky.