Gardena Employment Discrimination

Gardena is located in Los Angeles County. As of 2010, the population was 58,829. The city has a total area of 5.9 square miles. There are many Japanese companies in Gardena. Other major employers include Target, Sam’s Club, Nissin Foods, Hustler Casino, and Memorial Hospital. The city is also home to a number of Catholic private schools. If you have faced discrimination at work in this area, you can consult a seasoned Gardena employment discrimination attorney. Employment discrimination can be painful and have serious economic consequences. At Calderone Law, we may be able to represent you in a lawsuit to seek damages after illegal workplace conduct of this nature.

Federal and state laws prohibit employment discrimination in Gardena. Employment discrimination occurs when an employee is treated adversely because of his or her membership in a protected class. Different laws provide protection for personal characteristics. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the federal law that outlawed discrimination based on color, race, national origin, religion, and sex. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is the primary state law that protects employees from discrimination in Gardena. A dedicated employment discrimination attorney serving Gardena can help you determine which legal standards are most applicable to your case.

Protected characteristics under FEHA include color, race, religion, sex, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, medical condition, veteran or military status, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, request for family care leave, request for leave for an employee’s own severe health issue, retaliation for reporting abuse of patients in tax-supported entities, and age over 40. However, under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), employers with at least 50 employees must provide a job-protected leave under certain circumstances, including a child being born, a child being placed in an employee’s family for adoption or foster care, for a serious health condition of an employee’s child, parent or spouse, and for an employee’s own significant health condition.

Employment discrimination can include any adverse action taken against an employee on the basis of protected characteristics, including termination, failure to hire, assigning disparate pay, failure to promote, or demotion. For example, if your employer fails to promote you because you are a woman and he believes that women are not capable of being managers, this would be employment discrimination. For another example, if you are not hired and discover you weren’t hired because of your gender identity, this would also be an example of employment discrimination. A Gardena employment discrimination lawyer can assess the facts of your case to determine whether they may support a claim against your employer.

The employment anti-discrimination rules of FEHA apply to those employers with at least 5 part-time or full-time employees. The law’s provision against harassment, however, applies to all employers, even if they have just one employee.

Under FEHA, employers are forbidden from retaliating against an employee who, in good faith, exercises his or her protected rights. Retaliation occurs, for example, when an adverse action is taken against an employee because she complained to HR that she was sexually harassed or where an employee is terminated because she is Muslim and wears a hijab.

Damages available in your case can vary depending on which law you use to pursue them. Federal laws enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have caps on damages based on the size of the employer. Remedies for violating FEHA can include front pay or reinstatement, back pay, compensatory damages for pain and suffering, injunctive relief, and punitive damages. Punitive damages will only be available if a private employer acts with reckless indifference or malice in connection with your rights. Similar damages are available for violations of CFRA.

Employment discrimination in Gardena can be both painful and economically harmful. If you believe you have been a victim of workplace discrimination, the Calderone Law Firm may be able to help. Our firm represents clients in filing charges with the EEOC and DFEH, and we also offer aggressive legal representation in any subsequent pre-trial or trial proceedings. Call the Calderone Law Firm at (424) 348-8290 or complete our online form.