Retaliation against an individual who has engaged in a protected activity is unlawful. “Protected activity” means opposing conduct which a person, in good faith, reasonably believes to be unlawful under the anti-discrimination statutes or participating in Commission proceedings, those proceedings set up for the enforcement of the anti-discrimination statutes.
Can someone get in trouble for filing a complaint?
Federal and state laws make it illegal for an employer to retaliate against someone for asserting civil rights by filing a charge. The IHRC notifies the organization named in a complaint of this provision of the law when it serves a charge.
The laws that protect against retaliation mean only that an action should not be taken against someone because he or she filed a complaint. Employees still are subject to disciplinary actions for other reasons. For instance, if an employee disobeys company rules after filing a charge, he or she can be disciplined by an employer in the same manner as that employer treats others.