Through the 2020 “Virginia Values Act,” employees are given expanded protections relating to discrimination and accommodation. The law now covers more employers and more protected classes, and it expands the remedies available to employees who sue. 

The amendments also provide many more employees a path to bring discrimination claims in Virginia state court (instead of federal court), where it is much more difficult for an employer to defeat a discrimination claim without going to trial.

If you are an employee earning less than $1,137 per week or an average of $59,124 per year, then you should be aware by now about the recent update on the prohibition for Virginia employers to enforce a covenant not to compete with low-wage employees.