Century City was built on what used to be a 20th Century Fox backlot. The neighborhood is just 0.7 square miles and has about 6,000 residents. However, it is home to many notable Southern California employers, such as Fox Studios, the Westfield Century City shopping and entertainment complex, ICM Partners, International Lease Finance Corporation, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Most people hope that they will be judged on how well they perform at work or at a job interview, rather than on their race or gender or another trait unrelated to their ability to work. Unfortunately, however, some employers do have biases, and they may make significant employment decisions such as hiring and firing based on these biases rather than the merits of a particular job applicant or employee. The Century City employment lawyers at the Calderone Law Firm can help you hold an employer or prospective employer accountable for violating the law.
Federal and State Laws Governing the WorkplaceFederal and state laws forbid discrimination based on multiple protected traits. There are several federal statutes that prohibit discrimination, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These laws tend to apply to medium-sized companies; the minimum number of employees that an employer must have to be covered by Title VII is 15. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) forbids discrimination arising out of more protected characteristics, and it covers businesses and other employers that have at least 5 employees.
Protected characteristics under FEHA include race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, religion, military and veteran status, age (for those at least 40), medical condition, and disability. FEHA can be a more favorable law under which to pursue an employment discrimination claim than federal laws are, but each situation is unique and should be analyzed by an employment attorney in Century City.
Employment discrimination occurs when an employer makes a negative employment decision as a result of a worker's protected trait. For example, if your manager demotes you because you asked for a reasonable accommodation for a disability, you may be able to sue for disability discrimination and retaliation. Or, if a coworker groped you, and your employer told you that you were not a team player when you complained and terminated you, you may be able to recover damages for sexual harassment and retaliation.
Workers are often understandably concerned about facing even harsher employment decisions if they complain about or confront a harasser or a boss who is discriminating against them. In some cases, there is an implicit bias working against an employee, and the employer may deny why it took certain steps. Employers are increasingly sophisticated about avoiding liability. They may write up a negative performance review as a pretext to terminate an employee or take another adverse measure. However, a Century City employment attorney can help you present evidence to show that an action was actually an illegal pretext.
Retaliation is forbidden under federal anti-discrimination laws, such as Title VII, as well as FEHA. Retaliation is an adverse employment decision made because an employee engaged in a protected activity, such as complaining of discrimination or harassment or filing a lawsuit under an anti-discrimination statute. Sometimes the court may not find that an employer discriminated against an employee, but it does find retaliation. For example, conduct that you believe was coworker racial harassment may not qualify as hostile work environment harassment because it was not severe or pervasive enough, but if you were fired because you filed a complaint with the EEOC, you may be able to recover damages for retaliation even though your harassment claim did not succeed.
Damages that you may be able to recover if you establish your FEHA claim include back pay, front pay, and compensatory damages. It may be possible to be reinstated in your old job, but sometimes there is no way to mend fences with an employer, and in such cases, front pay is more appropriate. You may be able to get injunctive relief, such as having your employer institute better policies and procedures related to the kind of harassment or discrimination from which you suffered.
Contact an Employment Lawyer in Century City for Guidance on Your OptionsIf you face employment discrimination or harassment in Century City, the tough, skillful trial attorneys at the Calderone Law Firm are ready to provide the aggressive representation that you need to recover damages. You can call the Calderone Law Firm at (424) 348-8290 or contact us through our online form.