12.2.2 Termination in Violation of an Arizona Statute.

• Jurisdiction: Arizona

12.2.2 Termination in Violation of an Arizona Statute. An employee can also bring a AEPA claim if they were terminated in violation of an Arizona statute, including the Arizona Civil Rights Act, A.R.S. § 41-1401 et seq. (“ACRA”).¹⁸ Prior to the enactment of the AEPA, the ACRA only applied to employers with 15 or more employees. When the Arizona legislature enacted the AEPA in 1996, it also amended the ACRA by making the ACRA applicable to small employers with fewer than 15 for sexual harassment claims filed under A.R.S. § 41-1461(2).¹⁹ The legislature’s amendment of the ACRA reflected a public policy to relax the employer size requirement for some claimants; namely sexual harassment claimants. However, the ACRA is still not applicable to small employers (less than 15) for other forms of discrimination or civil rights violations.²⁰ Consequently, a claimant can bring...