Hawthorne Employment Discrimination

Hawthorne is a city located in southwest Los Angeles County. Jobs in the city involve management, food preparation, health care support, building and grounds maintenance, installation, moving, transportation, office and administrative work. In 2018, the city’s median income was $50,948. Employers in the city must abide by federal and state anti-discrimination laws. If you were treated adversely in the workplace due to your protected characteristic, you should discuss the circumstances with a Hawthorne employment discrimination attorney at the Calderone Law Firm. We may be able to represent you in a lawsuit for damages.

Employment discrimination occurs whenever an employee is treated adversely due to a trait protected under federal or state antidiscrimination employment laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces many of the federal antidiscrimination laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). These federal laws, which protect persons with different characteristics, only apply to mid-size employers. For instance, Title VII prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. Often, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) provides greater protection to Hawthorne employees than under federal law. FEHA covers employers with at least five employees and protects a broader range of characteristics. If you have questions about whether you are protected by federal and state workplace discrimination laws, meet with an employment discrimination attorney in Hawthorne to discuss your concerns.

FEHA prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee based on characteristics such as color, race, gender, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, medical condition, military status, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, disability, age over 40, and veteran status. Workplace discrimination can include any adverse employment action including failure to hire, termination, demotion, failure to promote, harassment and disparate pay. For example, if an employer terminates an employee undergoing gender transitioning over concerns that the transition may not project the right image for the company, the employee may have a claim for gender identity discrimination under FEHA. For another example, if your employer passes you over for a promotion to a management position because you are Chinese American, a Hawthorne employment discrimination lawyer may be able to help you file a claim for national origin, ancestry or race discrimination.

FEHA also provides certain types of leave, such as pregnancy disability leave. Your employer should not discriminate against you for requesting or taking leave to which you’re entitled. An employee disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition is entitled to a maximum of four months of job-protected disability leave for each pregnancy. You may be able to pursue damages under FEHA if you were passed over for a promotion you had been promised or were reassigned to a lower paying, less prestigious job as a result of asking for and taking pregnancy disability leave.

Your lawyer may be able to seek damages for retaliation if you’ve made a good faith complaint of employment discrimination under the law and were penalized for doing so. Retaliation includes any negative employment action taken by your employer because you engaged in actions that qualify as protected activity. For instance, if your employer demoted you as a result of your good-faith cooperation in the DFEH’s investigation of racial discrimination against your Black coworker, you may a claim for retaliation.

Remedies for violations of FEHA can include back pay, front pay, compensatory damages for pain and suffering, and punitive damages. If you were terminated from your job for a discriminatory reason, you may be able to ask the court for reinstatement, as well. However, when the employment relationship has broken down too drastically as a result of discrimination or harassment to be repaired, and you may be better served to seek damages.

When you apply for a job or go to work, you hope to be judged upon your work performance, rather than an aspect of your identity. Unfortunately, some employers make important decisions based on stereotypes and biases, rather than merit. If you were treated unfairly by your employer, you should discuss your situation with our experienced employment discrimination lawyer in Hawthorne. At the Calderone Law Firm, we may be able to counsel and represent you. Please call our firm at (424) 348-8290 or complete our online form.