Q: Can a company/organization offering a personal training/coaching credential barre me due to criminal allegations?
I was charged with a domestic violence charge in the state of PA. There is a newspaper article reporting the allegations. None of these allegations are true at all. I accepted and pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge in order to avoid more jail time to await a trial that would not go in my favor. I was in college at the time and bail was set at $75,000. Anyway, the company I was affiliated with and was seeking the credential from recently asked me to discontinue my affiliation with them without reason. I later discovered that it was because of these allegations and by association my charge as well. I see no bi-laws that would grant them legal right to exclude me especially considering that I willing to contribute to their cause. What can I do in this situation? I feel as though my equal opportunity rights have been violated. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
A:
You will need to contact an attorney due to two considerations. In New York, there is a statute that deals with discrimination against people due to their criminal history. New York has a general maxim that your conviction in the past should not affect your opportunities for future advancement. This statute may provide you some relief.
In addition, if you have been conviction-free since that PA charge, you may want to pursue whether that conviction can be expunged from your record. Each state has a legal process for this.
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