Cuyahoga County Prohibits Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expands Protections against Discrimination to Independent Contractors

On September 25, 2018, Cuyahoga County protected employees from employment discrimination and retaliation based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, as well as race, color, religion, military status, national origin, disability, age, ancestry and sex. By doing so, Cuyahoga County joins a growing list of cities and counties that protect employees from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.

Cuyahoga County’s ordinance covers any person who employs four or more persons within Cuyahoga County and protects any individual employed by such an Employer, including independent contractors. Ohio and federal anti-discrimination laws do not cover independent contractors, so providing them protection in Cuyahoga County expands their protections there significantly.

The ordinance appears to protect Employees who live or work outside of Cuyahoga County, as long as their employer employs four or more people in the County. This may mean that an employee subjected to sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination in another county or state, or an independent contractor subjected to any kind of discrimination anywhere, can seek justice in Cuyahoga County, so long as his or her employer has four or more employees there.

(The author is licensed to practice in the state of Ohio. The information contained above is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. Laws vary by state and region. Furthermore, the law is constantly changing. Thus, the information above may no longer be accurate at this time. No reader of this content, clients or otherwise, should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included herein without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue.)