---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 12203"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "12203"
heading: "Prohibition against retaliation and coercion"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/12203"
units:
  - "Chapter 126 — Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities"
  - "Subchapter IV — Miscellaneous Provisions"
---

# §12203. Prohibition against retaliation and coercion

- (a) **Retaliation—** No [person](/usc/42/12111.md?p=7) shall discriminate against any individual because such individual has opposed any act or practice made unlawful by this chapter or because such individual made a charge, testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing under this chapter.
- (b) **Interference, coercion, or intimidation—** It shall be unlawful to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any individual in the exercise or enjoyment of, or on account of his or her having exercised or enjoyed, or on account of his or her having aided or encouraged any other individual in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or protected by this chapter.
- (c) **Remedies and procedures—** The remedies and procedures available under sections [12117](/usc/42/12117.md), [12133](/usc/42/12133.md), and [12188](/usc/42/12188.md) of this title shall be available to aggrieved [persons](/usc/42/12111.md?p=7) for [violations](/usc/42/2000e–16a.md?p=c) of subsections [(a)](#a) and [(b)](#b), with respect to subchapter I, subchapter II and subchapter III, respectively.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 101–336, title V, § 503, July 26, 1990, 104 Stat. 370.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 101–336, July 26, 1990, 104 Stat. 327, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 12101 of this title and Tables.