Pub. 3 2013-2014 Issue 2

18 O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G C O L O R A D A N S R E A L I Z E D R E A M S FEATURE ARTICLE “Once all of the changes to CADA become effective, many employment law attorneys believe that more employment discrimination cases may be filed in state court under CADA, rather than in federal court under federal laws.” RECENT EMPLOYMENT LAW DEVELOPMENTS AFFECTING THE BANKING INDUSTRY T he Colorado Legislature this past session enacted several new and amended laws af- fecting the employer/employee relationship. In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two decisions interpreting federal anti-dis- crimination statutes. This article looks at how these developments affect the banking industry in Colorado. Colorado Legislative Developments House Bill 13-1136. Titled the “Job Protec - tion and Civil Rights Enforcement Act of 2013,” this statute significantly expands the remedies available to individuals alleging employment discrimination in violation of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (“CADA”). CADA will now allow jury trials and awards of attorney fees (effective August 7, 2013), and awards of compensatory and punitive damages (effective January 1, 2015). Most of these changes will have little practical impact on banks, however, because federal laws already provide most of Brent T. Johnson Employment Attorney Fairfield & Woods P.C.