Los Angeles Sexual Harassment

Los Angeles is California’s largest city. Its metropolitan area covers a large region of 502.7 square miles, including both land and water. It is known for its ethnic diversity and is home to a broad range of businesses and industries, including Hollywood. With more than $1 trillion in gross metropolitan product, the city has the third-largest GDP in the entire world. Unfortunately, like other cities across the country, many of these businesses do not pay proper attention to preventing sex discrimination and harassment or responding adequately to claims. These claims can be complex and emotionally difficult for those who have been victimized. Coworkers, supervisors, customers, supervisors, and managers may perpetrate actionable harassment. If you believe you may have a claim, please give our experienced Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyers a call. The Calderone Law Firm handles many lawsuits on a contingency fee basis; when we take a case on this basis, we would not recover our fees unless we prevailed the client’s case.

It is illegal to harass a job applicant or employee because of that person's sex. Harassment can include lewd remarks, unwelcome touching, blocking someone’s travel through the workplace, unwelcome sexual advances, sexual gestures, sexually provocative images, lewd comments, sexually explicit jokes, improper staring, remarks about someone’s appearance or body, asking for employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors or making reprisals after receiving an adverse response to sexual advances.

Both men and women can be victims of sexual harassment, and harassment can be perpetrated by people of either sex. Sexual harassment is prohibited in Los Angeles and the surrounding area under federal Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).

Trivial incidents and offhand remarks don’t tend to be actionable as sexual harassment. Rather, under Title VII, harassment is unlawful when it’s so frequent or severe it generates a hostile work environment, or results in an adverse employment decision. It can also include quid pro quo harassment. Title VII applies only to those employers in Los Angeles who have at least 15 employees.

Generally, FEHA protects employees of smaller employers. It applies to workplaces with just five employees. Additionally, it tends to provide stronger latitude with which to assess sexual harassment. FEHA prohibits quid pro quo harassment, in which an employer conditions benefits on an employee submitting to sexual harassment. It also prohibits hostile work environment harassment. To establish a hostile work environment under FEHA, our attorneys will need to show: (1) you faced unwelcome sexual conduct, advances, or comments, (2) the harassment you complain about was based on your sex, and (3) the harassment was so severe or pervasive, it altered your job conditions and created an abusive environment. You should be aware that not only specific person who harassed you, but also another who compels, incites, or coerces another into acting in sexually harassing ways can be held accountable in a civil suit.

Employers may be automatically responsible for sexual harassment by an employee in a supervisory position. However, employer liability for a coworker’s acts is possible only when an employer knew or should have known about harassment that was ongoing but didn’t correct.

Once it knows or has reason to know you may have been sexually harassed, your Los Angeles employer should start investigating your claim in a fair fashion to decide whether your complaint is justified. If it does not investigate, that is a problem. The company should not retaliate against you for complaining about harassment.

It can be important to talk to our attorneys even before you complain to HR about what happened. It may be helpful to discuss with our counsel whether what you’ve experienced is likely to be serious enough to be construed as harassment by the court and discuss how to gather and preserve evidence to support your case.

Sexual harassment is devastating. As a victim, you may suffer from feelings of humiliation and degradation. You may have faced economic losses such as losing your job or your reputation in the industry. You may be worried about whether you’re entitled to complain about conduct directed at you because of your sex because it fell short of violence. Or you may be fearful about going back to work due to violent assault or rape. Our Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyers may be able to represent you in your lawsuit for damages. The Calderone Law Firm is dedicated to protecting the rights of those who have been harmed by their employers’ harassing conduct. Our principal Vincent Calderone has over 25 years of experience representing employees. Call us at (424) 348-8290 or contact our firm online.