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Discrimination — South Carolina

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII) is the flagship of all anti-discrimination laws. Title VII requires employers to provide equal treatment to employees without regard to race, color, sex, national origin or religion. The law has been amended several times since it was passed in the 1960s and the case law on Title VII is extensive. South Carolina also has a state discrimination statute; however, it closely tracks the federal anti-discrimination laws and most discrimination lawsuits are brought under Title VII due to the greater range of remedies.  Additionally, the state’s Supreme Court has recognized a cause of action for wrongful discharge in violation of public policy, based on discrimination, which may be brought against employers with fewer than 15 employees. This means that while small employers may not be subject to a federal Title VII discrimination lawsuit, a current or former employee may still bring a lawsuit alleging discrimination under state law. This topic only discusses Title VII discrimination.

Coverage

Title VII only applies to employers with 15 or more employees in each working day in 20 or more calendar weeks in the current or prior...


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