Households in the city of Torrance have a median income of about $80,000. Common occupations of residents include management, business and financial operations, computer and mathematical, health practitioners, arts and recreation, education, architecture, engineering, production, food, personal care and service, construction, law enforcement, and transportation. If you are suffering from employment discrimination or another form of mistreatment on the job, the experienced Torrance employment lawyers at Calderone Law Firm may be able to help you recover damages. The employment matters that we handle include cases arising from sexual harassment, sexual orientation discrimination, age discrimination, disability discrimination, racial discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, violations of wage and hour laws, wrongful termination, and retaliation, among others.
Holding an Employer Accountable for Violating Your RightsWorkplace discrimination is prohibited in Torrance under both state and federal laws. The primary state law that prohibits it is the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Important federal statutes that also prohibit workplace discrimination are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Several of these federal statutes are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). However, these statutes tend to apply only to companies with a certain minimum number of employees (15, in the case of Title VII), and often they are less favorable to plaintiffs than FEHA is.
FEHA applies to organizations in California that have at least five employees. Protected characteristics under FEHA are race, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military and veteran status, national origin, ancestry, religion, age (when you are over 40), and disability. Workplace discrimination under FEHA and federal laws exists when an employer takes a negative employment action on the basis of an employee's protected characteristic, rather than on merit.
For example, if your boss will not promote you because you are Muslim, this is religious discrimination. For another example, if you are terminated because you complain to your manager about being harassed on the basis of your race, you may have claims of race discrimination, racial harassment, and retaliation. Our employment attorneys can help Torrance residents evaluate all of the possible claims and legal theories in their case.
Sexual harassment is one type of discrimination. It comes in two forms, and people of any gender can be sexually harassed. Quid pro quo harassment happens if your employment is made contingent on providing sexual favors. Hostile work environment harassment occurs if managers, supervisors, customers, clients, or coworkers harass you on the basis of your sex, and this harassment is not just a single minor incident but is either severe or pervasive.
Many employees are understandably frightened to file a charge of discrimination or harassment. You may not be certain whether what you are experiencing is actionable, or whether you fall into a protected category. You should consult an experienced attorney about your situation. Your employer is not allowed to retaliate against you for exercising protected rights, such as reporting harassment or discrimination, but it can still help to have counsel from a Torrance employment attorney about what to do to document your situation and how to proceed.
You may be able to recover a wide range of damages under FEHA. These include back pay, front pay, compensatory damages, an injunction, and in some cases, punitive damages. You may be able to be reinstated, but often employment discrimination cases become too hostile to make it possible for the two parties to work together again successfully.
You deserve to be paid in accordance with the law. There are both federal and state wage and hour laws. Sometimes an individual's wage and hour claim for overtime is very low, making it difficult to warrant bringing a lawsuit against the employer. However, when there are multiple other employees who also have the same or similar wage and hour claims against an employer, it may be appropriate to file a class action lawsuit. For example, it might be appropriate to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of employees who have inappropriately been classified as salaried or exempt workers, and who were not paid a minimum wage. Similarly, it might be appropriate to file a class action lawsuit against an employer that forces nonexempt workers to work through lunch.
Consult an Employment Lawyer in Torrance to Explore Your OptionsIf you need representation in an employment lawsuit in Torrance, the experienced attorneys at the Calderone Law Firm may be able to provide counsel and representation. There are different nuances to federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination and sexual harassment, including different remedies, and it is crucial to hire attorneys who can help you develop and pursue a well-crafted strategy for damages. Call us at (424) 348-8290 or contact us through our online form.