Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the largest city in California. It has a population of 3,898,747 and is home to Hollywood. Additionally, numerous businesses in industries such as music recording, video games, technology, television, fashion, finance, telecommunications, and apparel maintain offices there. While the city has a strong reputation for diversity, you could face employment discrimination and harassment on the job. You could be confronted by wage theft in the form of and meal and rest break violations. defamation, retaliation, and employee misclassification. If you were harmed by your employer and believe you need to bring in a lawsuit for damages, you should call the experienced Los Angeles employment attorneys of the Calderone Law Firm.

Employers are constrained by numerous federal, state, and local laws. These statutes and ordinances cover discrimination, quid pro quo sexual harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, and wage and hour matters. The primary state employment discrimination law is the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Many different Labor Code sections cover wage and hour and related issues. It is important to be aware that some companies commit wage theft by misclassifying workers as independent contractors even when they meet the criteria for employees under California law. If you suspect you’ve been improperly classified and are entitled to protections available only to employees, such as overtime or the right to pursue damages for discrimination, our attorneys can evaluate your situation.

Employment discrimination occurs when an employee is treated adversely due to his or her membership in a protected class. In most cases, FEHA protects a broader range of classes and provides more expensive protections than do federal laws. It applies to employers that have at least five employees. Classes that are protected include:

• Race,
• Color,
• Sex,
• Pregnancy,
• Gender,
• Sexual orientation,
• Marital status,
• National origin,
• Religion,
• Disability,
• Medical conditions,
• Age,
• Ancestry,
• Genetic information,
• Military or veteran status.

One of the primary federal antidiscrimination laws is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits employment discrimination since race, color, national origin, religion, and sex. However, our lawyers can only file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or pursue damages in a discrimination lawsuit under Title VII on your behalf if your Los Angeles employer has at least 15 employees.

Sexual harassment in a Los Angeles workplace is forbidden under both FEHA and Title VII. California prohibits sexual harassment in workplaces of all sizes. Roughly speaking, there are two categories of sexual harassment. With quid pro quo sexual harassment, managers or supervisors condition an employee’s pay or perks on submitting to sexual advantages. Hostile work environment harassment occurs when a workplace is made abusive for an employee due to his or her sex regardless of the employee’s gender or sexual orientation.

You are entitled to be paid in accord with the law. Your employer should not withhold wages from you either intentionally or due to ignorance of the law. If you are a nonexempt employee, your employer must follow rules regarding minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, and more. There are situations in which it is possible not only to recover back pay from an employer who fails to pay what you earned, but also double the unpaid wages, liquidated damages, or waiting time penalties.

You should not be retaliated against for engaging in a protected activity under federal and state laws. Retaliation occurs when you are penalized by an employer for exercising your rights in the workplace. It would be retaliation, for example, if you filed a charge with the EEOC due to asking for a reasonable accommodation for your disability at your corporate job and you were fired as a result of disability discrimination.

If you believe you might have a claim against the company for which you work, you should call the employment attorneys of the premiere Southern California employment law firm Calderone Law Firm about your case. With more than 20 years of experience, our results-oriented principal Vincent Calderone provides workers with outstanding legal service. Contact us online or call us at (424) 348-8290.