Employment Law
Los Angeles Discrimination Attorneys
Workers in California have the right to be free from discrimination and harassment, including a hostile work environment. Every day, however, employees throughout the state are subjected to illegal discrimination. The Los Angeles discrimination attorneys at King & Siegel LLP can help you take a stand against discrimination in your workplace.
Our Los Angeles employment discrimination lawyers help clients take legal action when they experience any of the following:
- Pregnancy discrimination
- Disability discrimination
- Race discrimination
- Gender discrimination
- Sexual orientation discrimination
- Religious discrimination
- Age discrimination
- Parental status discrimination
Pregnancy Discrimination
California law protects pregnant women and mothers who have recently given birth. It’s illegal for your employer to fire or treat you differently in the workplace because you’re pregnant or have a newborn. In addition, your employer must honor your rights if you experience pregnancy loss. We’re one of the select few law firms in California that specifically advocates for victims of pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.
Disability Discrimination
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and California law, employers can’t treat you differently because you have a physical or mental disability. California law goes further. It protects people with conditions that substantially limit their ability to participate in daily activities.
Race Discrimination
Treating someone different in the workplace because of the way they look, their ethnicity, or their national origin is illegal. Preferential treatment in the workplace is likewise illegal. If your employer fired, demoted, or harassed you because of your race, you may have an employment discrimination claim against them.
Gender Discrimination
Treating someone unequally in the workplace because of their gender is illegal. This includes gender identity and gender expression. If an employer takes adverse action because of your gender, it’s unethical and illegal.
Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Discriminating against someone because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation is unlawful. Additionally, an employer can’t take adverse action because of a belief about your or your family member’s sexual orientation. It’s typically irrelevant whether the belief is true. What matters is that discriminatory reasons motivated them to take the action.
Religious Discrimination
Everyone has a right to the free exercise of religion. This includes wearing clothes, jewelry, or head coverings because of a sincerely held religious belief. Your employer can’t prevent you from or fire you for taking days off to observe religious holidays.
Age Discrimination
Hiring, firing, demoting, or taking other adverse action because of someone’s age is against the law. This includes forced retirement. Our Los Angeles employment discrimination lawyers regularly go up against employers who discriminate against people because of their age.
Parental Status Discrimination
Federal and state law protects people against discrimination because of their parental status. This may include continuously giving a worker less jobs to do because they are a parent. Parental status discrimination also occurs when the employer denies someone maternity or paternity leave.
Our Los Angeles discrimination lawyers are knowledgeable and passionate about this area of law. We understand that work is not just something you do each day; it can be a fundamental part of who you are, and it is how you satisfy the basic human need to support yourself and your family. We have successfully represented a wide range of clients in a variety of employment discrimination cases. Regardless of your particular circumstances, we are committed to fighting for your best interests.
If you believe you are being discriminated against in the workplace, King & Siegel LLP welcomes you to call our legal team today at (213) 465-4802 for a free review of your case.
What Is Employment Discrimination?
In California, there are laws in place that protect workers from discrimination in the workplace. These statutes are enforced by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and generally apply to employers who have more than five employees on payroll. Employers are prohibited from discriminating against current employees and/or job applicants due to the individual’s membership in a protected class.
What Qualifies as Discrimination in the Workplace?
Employment discrimination may occur when an employer takes an adverse action because of someone’s characteristics, not their qualifications. Here are examples of actions that may be discriminatory:
- Preferential treatment—consistently promoting or hiring workers who have certain characteristics or treating them better than other employees.
- Termination—firing an employee because of their race, religious belief, gender, or other protected characteristic or class.
- Unfair treatment—this includes assigning a worker more or less work than others or excluding the worker from company activities.
- Denying a worker reasonable accommodation—failing to adjust the hours or the manner of work that would allow a worker with a disability to complete their job is a denial of reasonable accommodation.
- Retaliation—taking adverse action because someone filed or helped someone else file a discrimination complaint.
- Harassment—harassing someone or creating a hostile work condition because they are a member of a protected class.
- Choosing not to hire someone—deciding not to hire someone because of their membership in a protected class, rather than their qualifications.
- Giving someone a bad reference—failing to provide a good reference or actively hindering someone’s ability to get another job.
California additionally protects workers from discrimination based on the actual or perceived characteristics of you, your friends, and your family members.
For example, let’s say that your boss hears a rumor that your sister is transgender. Your boss hasn’t met your sister and doesn’t have confirmation that the rumor is or isn’t true. Your boss fires or demotes you because of their belief that your sister is transgender. This might be discrimination. In California, the question is whether improper considerations motivated your boss to take adverse action.
Our workplace discrimination lawyers can evaluate your claim and help you understand your legal rights. We go above and beyond to help make you comfortable while serving as strategic and aggressive advocates.
Who Is Protected from Employment Discrimination?
Anti-discrimination laws protect anyone who falls within a protected class.
Under California employment law, workers are protected from illegal discrimination based on:
- Age
- Sex
- Marital status
- Race or ethnicity
- Ancestry or national origin
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity or gender expression
- Religion
- Mental or physical disability
- Medical conditions
- Genetic information
- Military and veteran status
In situations where an employee can demonstrate that they have been discriminated against because they are a member of one of these protected classes, the individual may pursue legal action against their employer. There are several reasons one may choose to file an employment discrimination lawsuit, including ending the discrimination, getting personal vindication, obtaining financial compensation, and protecting the future of others. Our Los Angeles discrimination lawyers are here to help you clarify your goals and evaluate the costs and benefits of filing a lawsuit against your employer.
How Do I Prove Discrimination in the Workplace?
In general, there are four elements that you need to show to prove a discrimination case:
- You are a member of a protected class;
- You are qualified for the job or performed the job well;
- Your employer took adverse action against you; and
- Your employer’s decision was motivated by discriminatory reasons.
You can use direct or indirect evidence to prove your case. Workplace discrimination attorneys help victims of discrimination uncover key evidence to prove their case.
How Do I File a Workplace Discrimination Complaint?
You can file a workplace discrimination complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). The EEOC enforces certain anti-discrimination laws. The California DFEH also enforces anti-discrimination laws. Both agencies also investigate and oversee disputes regarding employment discrimination.
In most cases, you need to file a complaint with these agencies before filing a discrimination lawsuit.
Depending on the circumstances, you usually only have 180 days in which to file the complaint. The event that starts the clock is the date on which the discriminatory action took place. This could be the date that you lost your job or were passed up for the promotion.
The best way to protect your legal rights is to contact our Los Angeles employment discrimination lawyers. We can evaluate your claim and help you meet these critical deadlines.
Finding the Right Law Firm Is Critical
The outcome of your discrimination case is largely dependent on the quality of representation that you obtain. It is crucial to work with a legal team that understands the intricacies of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the California Labor Code, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and other applicable laws. You will also want a representative who is committed to helping you achieve the best possible outcome.
At King & Siegel LLP, we offer experienced representation for employees whose rights have been violated in the workplace. If you have faced discrimination or wrongfully terminated as a result, you can trust our Los Angeles discrimination attorneys to put forth maximum effort for your case. We work on a contingency basis, which means you don’t pay us unless you win.
Our experienced legal team also handles other types of employment law cases, including cases surrounding: