Inglewood is located in southwestern Los Angeles County. Its population is 109,673.
The city is 9.1 square miles and is included in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. As is true in other cities, sometimes employers in Inglewood unfortunately make important decisions in the workplace such as who to hire, promote, or lay off based on bias. Federal and state laws prohibit making adverse employment decisions on the basis of a job applicant or employee's membership in a protected class, such as race, age, or sex. However, employers sometimes judge workers based on their identities rather than their skills and experience. If you believe you have suffered employment discrimination, an experienced Inglewood employment attorney at the Calderone Law Firm can assess whether you have a viable claim and potentially help you pursue compensation.
There are several federal anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title VII prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, and religion. The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces many of the federal anti-discrimination laws. They usually apply to medium-sized or large employers. For example, Title VII applies to organizations that have a minimum of 15 employees.
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is the state anti-discrimination law. Often it offers stronger protection than federal law does. It protects a wide range of classes including race, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, medical condition, disability, marital status, national origin, ancestry, religion, age if you're over 40, and veteran status. An experienced employment lawyer in Inglewood can help you determine whether you have a claim under FEHA.
Employment discrimination occurs when an employer takes an adverse step against a job applicant or employee in the workplace due to the employee's membership in a protected class. For example, if you are not promoted because you are a woman, this may be sex discrimination. For another example, if you are not hired because you are disabled, this may be disability discrimination. If you are not promoted to a customer-facing position because you wear a hijab and have an accent, you may have claims for religious and national origin discrimination.
One form of discrimination is harassment. Sexual harassment can be quid pro quo or hostile work environment harassment. The former exists when an employer tries to trade an employment benefit for a sexual favor or conditions continued employment on submitting to sexual advances. Hostile work environment harassment exists where harassment is so severe or so pervasive it alters the work environment, making it objectively and subjectively hostile.
Both federal and state laws prohibit employer retaliation based on protected activities such as filing a charge of discrimination, suing for harassment, or complaining of discrimination. Your employer is not allowed to punish you for complaining of sexual harassment or suing for religious discrimination. If they do, you would have an additional basis to sue. Sometimes a discrimination or harassment claim fails, but the retaliation claim succeeds. An Inglewood employment law attorney can assess whether you should include a retaliation claim in your case.
FEHA allows plaintiffs to recover backpay, front pay or reinstatement, compensatory damages, and injunctive relief. In some cases, punitive damages may be available. If a plaintiff pursues damages under Title VII or the ADA or another federal law enforced by the EEOC, compensatory and punitive damages will be capped based on the size of the employer.
The Calderone Law Firm also handles wage and hour claims. These are claims that arise when an employer fails to abide by federal or state laws associated with wages. It is common for claims to be based on an employer failure to pay minimum wage, failure to pay overtime, requirement that an employee work off the clock, misclassification of employees as exempt from wage and hour requirements, requiring workers to work off the clock, misclassification of employees as independent contractors, and failing to give the necessary meal and rest breaks required by law.
Consult an Employment Lawyer Serving InglewoodIf you have faced employment discrimination in Inglewood, a tough and skillful trial attorney at the Calderone Law Firm may be able to represent you in a lawsuit for damages. Please call the Calderone Law Firm at (424) 348-8290 or contact us through our online form.