Los Angeles Workplace Harassment Attorney

Helping California Workers Who Have Experienced Harassment in the Workplace Seek Justice and Compensation

California workplaces should be free from harassment, discrimination, hostile environments, and other employment law violations. Although hostile work environment laws, workplace discrimination laws, and harassment are illegal in the California workplace, harassment occurs fairly regularly regardless. Additionally, many employers and management staff failed to correct inappropriate behavior to keep the work environment free of harassment and other such actions that are unwanted or uncalled for.

Whether you have been the victim or witness of harassment, and whether you are an employee or a job applicant, federal and state laws are here to protect your legal rights. However, even if you report sexual harassment or another type of workplace harassment, that does not mean that the matter will be easily settled.

Our California law firm has years of experience assisting clients through the legal process of filing harassment claims in the practice area of employment law. Attorney Matias Castro can help you take legal action to hold parties accountable for workplace sexual harassment and other forms of workplace harassment. Please contact our Los Angeles law office to schedule your initial consultation with the attorney today. Rest assured that your consultation will be confidential and that, going forward, your attorney-client relationship will protect your interests and well-being.

What Are Common Forms of Harassment in the Workplace?

Workplace harassment is a form of employment discrimination. This makes workplace harassment illegal, and if steps are not taken to address matters properly, parties may be held liable for economic and non-economic damages.

Many forms of harassment can take place in the workplace. These include the following:

Conduct that includes unwanted physical contact or conduct that any reasonable person would consider to be offensive
Harassment based on a protected characteristic, such as national origin, sexual orientation, immigration status, race, religion, and other protected classes
Many harassment cases involve ongoing and pervasive workplace harassment that creates a hostile work environment
Physical harassment may include pushing, groping, physical intimidation, hitting, and other unwanted physical conduct
Sexual harassment in a place of employment can include repeated requests for dates, requests for sexual favors, and other unwanted sexual advances
Verbal abuse can include the use of slurs, degrading comments, off-color jokes, lewd remarks, and comments that attack a protected characteristic or status
Visual forms of workplace harassment can include displaying or sharing cartoons, photographs, videos, audio, posters, and drawings of a sexual nature

An employer must conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether the conduct was severe enough to constitute workplace harassment. This investigation may involve interviewing coworkers, reviewing the frequency of the alleged harassment, and determining the length of time over which the offensive behavior transpired.

What Constitutes a Hostile Work Environment?

A workplace will be considered hostile if any reasonable person would consider the atmosphere and behavior of the workplace to be toxic, intimidating, or abusive. Essentially, if the conduct of others in the work environment disrupts your emotional well-being, affects your ability to perform your job duties as prescribed, or interferes with or undermines your mental health, you may be employed in a hostile work environment.

Forms of harassment that can result in a hostile work environment include the following:

Derogatory comments or slurs
Discrimination based on a worker’s protected class under California or federal law
E-mail and text harassment
Impeding or blocking movement in the workplace
Intentional interference with work performance
Quid pro quo sexual harassment
Repeated unwanted sexual advances
Same-sex harassment
Sexual harassment of a colleague or subordinate of the opposite sex
Social media harassment
Workplace retaliation or wrongful termination in response to reporting workplace harassment

To prove a hostile work environment claim, you must show that your employer, supervisor, or coworker engaged in pervasive inappropriate behavior, that the behavior unreasonably interfered with your job duties, and that you suffered damages due to the hostile work environment.

What is Considered Sexual Harassment Under California Law?

There are two different types of sexual harassment in California workplaces.

In California, a hostile work environment claim begins when an employee is subjected to severe and pervasive acts of sexual harassment that interfere with daily work responsibilities. If an employee is forced to fight off sexual advances, lewd comments, or unwanted physical contact, this may be considered sexual harassment that creates a hostile work environment. In some sexual harassment cases, you may not be the direct target of the harassment but rather a witness. Sometimes, the human resources department doesn’t go far enough to resolve these issues, and it may be necessary to retain professional legal representation.

Quid pro quo harassment claims occur when California workers receive advances in their workplace or preferential treatment in exchange for sexual favors. For example, if a California employer requests sexual activity or sexual acts from you in exchange for a promotion or a raise, this would be considered quid pro quo harassment. Quid pro quo sexual harassment can also occur when you lose rights or privileges at work in exchange for denying the advances of your coworkers or superiors.

Can Your Employers Retaliate Against You for Filing a Harassment Claim?

It is against the law for Los Angeles employers to retaliate against their employees for reporting workplace harassment or any other employment law violation.

If your employer is seeking to punish you for reporting workplace harassment, such as by denying you a promotion or by other means, an employment law attorney can help you take legal action against them.

Our Los Angeles law firm, led by employment law lawyer Matias Castro, is dedicated to helping employees and job applicants hold offending parties responsible for their inappropriate workplace behavior. Contact our law offices to schedule your case review with our legal team today.

What if Your Employer Fails to Address the Offending Behavior After You’ve Made an Official Report?

When you report workplace harassment, an employer must be allowed to address and correct the situation. If the employer fails to do so, legal action may be taken.

Victims of workplace harassment may be eligible to receive financial compensation with a harassment lawsuit. Additional compensation could be available in harassment cases where employers initially ignore the reports of harassment in the workplace.

Our Los Angeles lawyer and her legal staff have experience representing a variety of harassment cases, including the following:

Disability harassment
National origin harassment
Racial harassment
Religious harassment
Sexual harassment, including quid pro quo claims and hostile work environment claims
Sexual orientation or gender identity harassment
And more

Could You Win Compensation with a Successful Workplace Harassment Lawsuit?

Provided your case meets the standards for the legal term of workplace harassment or a hostile work environment, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the offending parties in pursuit of justice and fair compensation. With the help of an employment lawyer, you stand a better chance of recovering the maximum compensation for your harassment case.

Potential damages that you may recover with a workplace harassment claim include the following:

Changes in company policies
Job reinstatement
Lost wages
Mental anguish, emotional distress, and psychological damages
The harasser may be removed from their position
And other non-economic damages for the suffering you have endured

In certain extreme cases, victims may also be awarded punitive damages. Please contact our law firm to speak with the attorney and learn more.

Schedule an In-Depth Case Review with a Los Angeles Workplace Harassment Attorney Today

If you’ve experienced harassment at work, contact our Los Angeles law firm to speak with experienced attorney Matias Castro. Our legal team will develop a strategy, gather the evidence necessary to prove your claim and seek remedies that the laws may provide. Every workplace harassment case is unique, and we will investigate the facts to determine the right course of action in pursuit of justice and financial recovery.

California workers should not have to endure hostile work environments or harassment of any kind. If you have suffered workplace harassment or been the witness to the harassment of others, contact our law firm right away.

You may reach our North Hollywood law office at 310-750-2580.