Culver City

Culver City has been known for motion pictures and television production. Hundreds of movies were produced in Culver City from The Wizard of Oz and E.T. to Wag the Dog and Air Force One. When you apply for a job or go to work, you hope to be judged on your merits, rather than on your personal identity. Unfortunately, some employers are biased and do make important employment decisions, such as hiring, firing, promotions, demotions, pay, accessibility to training programs, and more, on the basis of protected characteristics such as race, color, gender, religion, national identity, or disability. If you face discrimination at your job, you should consult the Culver City employment lawyers at the Calderone Law Firm.

Federal and state laws have prohibited discrimination on the basis of numerous protected characteristics. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) applies to all companies with a minimum of five employees. It protects these characteristics: color, race, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry, military and veteran status, and age (if you are older than 40 years old).

In most cases, FEHA is more favorable for workers than the federal anti-discrimination statutes are. These statutes include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which applies only to companies with at least 15 employees. Many of these statutes are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Under both federal and state laws, discrimination occurs if an employer takes an adverse employment action based on an employee's protected characteristic, instead of their merit. For example, if your boss fires you because you complain of being sexually harassed, an employment attorney in Culver City may be able to help you sue for sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. For another example, if you are paid less than your colleagues doing the same type of work because of your religion, this is religious discrimination.

It can be terrifying to confront your employer about discrimination or harassment. You may not be sure why your employer took a particular action, and often employers these days are savvy about not admitting to why they took a particular step. Some may even manufacture a negative performance review to create a pretext for firing an employee whom they view as a troublemaker for complaining about discrimination. You should be aware that your employer is forbidden from retaliating against you for exercising protected rights like filing a charge of discrimination or complaining of harassment. This does not mean that your employer will not retaliate against you, but you do have recourse by filing a lawsuit for retaliation. In many cases, a claim of retaliation is easier to establish than a claim based on the underlying discrimination or harassment.

If your Culver City employment attorney brings a lawsuit under FEHA, you may be able to obtain back pay, reinstatement or front pay, compensatory damages, injunctive relief, and when there is truly egregious conduct, possibly punitive damages. By the time that a lawsuit is concluded, the relationship between the employer and the employee may be irreparably broken, such that it does not make sense to be reinstated. In cases in which this may be the case, it may be better to request front pay.

In addition to employment discrimination claims, we also handle wage and hour lawsuits. It is important for employers to follow federal and state wage and hour laws with regard to such matters as minimum wage, overtime, and breaks. In some cases, an individual employee's claim may be too small to warrant filing a lawsuit. However, if the employer has violated wage and hour laws with regard to a group of employees or all of its employees, it may be possible for the afflicted employees to band together and bring a class action lawsuit.

If you face discrimination or harassment on the job, the resourceful, experienced trial attorneys at the Calderone Law Firm may be able to counsel and represent you. You can call the Calderone Law Firm at (424) 348-8290 or contact us through our online form for an appointment with an employment lawyer in the Culver City area.