Opinion No. (2001)

REQUESTED BY: Alfonza Whitaker, Director Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission You requested our opinion as to whether a release signed by an employee, as a condition of receiving severance benefits, prohibits the employee from pursuing a pending charge under the Nebraska Fair Employment Practices Act. Additionally, you asked whether a valid release of Title VII claims requires consideration beyond those benefits to which the employee was already entitled.

In answer to your first question, if a release is valid, the employee is precluded from pursuing any pending claims, including those under…