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Article: Contractors assess impact of Civil Rights law. (Civil Rights Act of 1991) (Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Building Design & Construction
- Article date:
- February 1, 1992
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Civil Rights Act of 1991, signed by President Bush in November, will affect contractors as well as other employers with 15 or more employees.
The statute allows employees who allege discrimination on the basis of race, sex or physical handicaps to demand jury trials and to recover punitive and compensatory damages of as much as $300,000, depending on the size of their employer. Punitive damages previously were available only to persons discriminated against on a racial basis.
The limits on damages are governed by the size of the employer, and range from a maximum of $50,000 for a firm with 16 to 100 employees to $300,000 for a firm with more than ...