Discrimination at Work
La. R.S. 23:332 — no hiring, firing or pay decisions over race, religion, sex, origin or military status
An employer may not intentionally refuse to hire, fire, or discriminate in pay or terms of work because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, military status, or a natural, protective or cultural hairstyle. Age is protected the same way. The chapter applies to an employer with twenty or more employees in the state for twenty or more weeks of the current or preceding year.
Equal pay for equal work. An employer may not intentionally pay an employee less than one of the opposite sex for equal work requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility under similar conditions, and may not cut anyone's wages to comply.
- Before suing, the employee gives the employer written notice at least 30 days ahead, detailing the discrimination, and both sides try in good faith to resolve it.
- The claim prescribes in 1 year, suspended while the federal EEOC or the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights reviews it.
- A suit may seek compensatory damages, back pay, benefits, reinstatement, front pay, attorney fees and costs.
- A plaintiff found to have brought a frivolous claim pays the employer's damages, fees and costs.
Sources for this section (4)
- La. R.S. 23:302 — Definitions
- La. R.S. 23:303 — Civil suits authorized
- La. R.S. 23:312 — Prohibition of age discrimination; exceptions
- La. R.S. 23:332 — Intentional discrimination in employment
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Louisiana attorney.