As an employee in California, you have several legal protections in the workplace. Aside from laws that govern how your employer pays you and keeps you safe at work, both federal and state law have several protections in place for workers who are treated differently because of certain characteristics or perceived differences they have. Legally, this is known as workplace discriminaton, and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is the main law that prohibits your employer or coworkers from taking such actions. Even with the FEHA in place for you and other similar coworkers, there are still countless incidents of discrimination and hostility in California workplaces.
When that happens, knowing your legal rights may not be enough to hold your employer accountable-you will also need the experience and knowledge of our team of California employment lawyers to help you stand up against this illegal discrimination. We are proud to offer free consultations for our potential clients, where you are under no obligation to hire us, even after we discuss your claims. To schedule your free initial consultation, contact us today.
Generally speaking, the FEHA applies to every employee in California. However, there are certain restrictions to which workplaces are covered by the law. The FEHA has an “employee threshold” of five or more employees. This means that the FEHA does not apply to employers with less than five employees. Even with this limitation, the FEHA’s provisions against harassment in the workplace has no employee threshold. As such, harassment based on an employee’s protected characteristic is illegal and applies to every employer, regardless of how many employees they have.
There are two main remedies in place in the event that your FEHA rights have been violated by your employer: file a claim with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and file a civil lawsuit against your employer. Both have benefits and drawbacks, but the motivation for whichever path you choose is the same: stopping your employer’s unlawful behavior.
Discrimination and retaliation can make any work environment intolerable. Through our years of experience dealing with employers that have violated your rights under the FEHA, we know what it takes to build your case effectively and convincingly so that you can get the compensation you rightly deserve. At Maison Law, we believe strongly in our process and know how to get results. To learn more about this process and how we can help you, contact us for a free consultation.