What are my rights against workplace harassment in Arizona?

1. Federal Floor. Title VII (15+ employees) and Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 (1986), establish the hostile-environment baseline.

2. State Statute & Agency. The Arizona Civil Rights Act (ACRA), A.R.S. § 41-1461 et seq., is enforced by the Arizona Civil Rights Division (ACRD) of the Attorney General's Office. ACRA covers employers with 15 or more employees for discrimination claims (A.R.S. § 41-1461(7)).

3. Standard for Hostile Work Environment. Arizona courts apply the federal "severe or pervasive" standard. ACRA is interpreted in lockstep with Title VII (Higdon v. Evergreen Int'l Airlines, Inc., 138 Ariz. 163 (1983)).

4. Protected Categories. Race, color, religion, sex, age (40+), disability, national origin, and genetic-test results (A.R.S. § 41-1463). Arizona does not protect sexual orientation or gender identity at the state level; federal protection via Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. 644 (2020).

5. Quid Pro Quo vs Hostile Environment. Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775 (1998), and Burlington v. Ellerth, 524 U.S. 742 (1998), control.

6. Employer Liability. Strict liability for supervisor harassment with tangible employment action; affirmative defense available otherwise.

7. Mandatory Training. Arizona has no statewide harassment-training mandate for private employers.

8. Filing Deadline. EEOC: 300 days. ACRD: 180 days (A.R.S. § 41-1481(A)). After right-to-sue, court action within 1 year.

9. NDA Restrictions. Arizona has not enacted a broad ban on sexual-harassment NDAs; federal Speak Out Act (2022) voids pre-dispute NDAs for federally covered workers.

This is legal information, not legal advice.