Los Angeles Sexual Harassment Lawyer
Protecting Employees From Workplace Harassment Since 2003
Sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal conduct that no employee should have to endure. Whether you’re facing unwanted advances, inappropriate comments, a hostile work environment, or pressure to submit to sexual conduct as a condition of employment, you have rights under California and federal law.
Coming forward isn’t easy. Many employees hesitate to report harassment because they fear retaliation, disbelief, loss of privacy, or a process they don’t understand. At Nosrati Law, we represent employees exclusively and focus our practice on employment law.
Founded in 2003, our firm offers free consultations and virtual meetings. We handle cases on a contingency basis, which means legal fees are owed only if we recover compensation for you.
If you’ve experienced sexual harassment at work, call (323) 784-0643 to request a free consultation with Nosrati Law.
Our Results in Sexual Harassment Cases
These results reflect specific cases and don’t establish or predict the outcome of another employee’s claim.
Employment Law Representation Focused on Employees
Employees choosing a sexual harassment attorney often want clear answers about who the firm represents, how fees work, and whether they can discuss the situation before committing to legal action. Our practice is devoted exclusively to employment law, and we represent employees rather than employers and corporations.
- More than 40 years of combined employment law experience
- Millions recovered in compensation across employment law matters
- Representation focused exclusively on employees
- Services available in English, Spanish, and Farsi
- More than 100 five-star reviews from people we’ve helped
- Free consultations and virtual meeting options
- Contingency-based representation, with legal fees owed only when compensation is recovered
If you’ve been sexually harassed at work, call (323) 784-0643 to speak with our sexual harassment attorneys in Los Angeles. We can review your case for free and explain your options.
Our Sexual Harassment Cases in the News
What Qualifies as Workplace Sexual Harassment?
Sexual harassment refers to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that affects an employee’s working conditions or creates a hostile, intimidating, or offensive work environment.
Harassment doesn’t have to involve an explicit request for sex. Offensive remarks, jokes, or conduct related to a person’s sex can also raise a legal issue. The analysis depends on the totality of the circumstances, including the nature, frequency, severity, context, and effect of the conduct.
California law recognizes that a single serious incident can create a triable hostile work environment issue when it unreasonably interferes with work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive workplace. This is a fact-specific standard, so conduct doesn’t need to occur repeatedly before an employee seeks legal advice.
Important: Both the harasser and the victim can be any gender. The harasser doesn’t have to be the victim’s supervisor. The person involved may be a coworker, client, vendor, or another individual connected to the workplace.
It can be difficult to navigate these issues on your own. A legal review can address what happened, who was involved, how the conduct affected your work, and whether related retaliation or discrimination claims may apply.
Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment
Quid pro quo harassment means an employment benefit or decision is conditioned on an employee’s willingness to submit to sexual conduct. It may involve promotions, raises, assignments, scheduling, favorable treatment, or continued employment.
This type of harassment is illegal whether the demand is explicit or implied. You don’t have to comply with the conduct for it to qualify as quid pro quo sexual harassment. Relevant facts may include who made the demand, what benefit or threat was connected to it, how you responded, and what happened afterward.
Examples include:
- A supervisor implying that a promotion depends on accepting their advances.
- Being told directly or indirectly that your job is at risk unless you engage in sexual conduct.
- Receiving favorable treatment after complying with sexual demands.
- Experiencing adverse treatment after refusing sexual conduct.
Hostile Work Environment
A hostile work environment claim applies when unwelcome sexual conduct, whether from a supervisor, coworker, or client, is severe or pervasive enough to make the workplace offensive, intimidating, or hostile.
The conduct doesn’t have to be directed at you personally. A workplace permeated with sexual jokes, explicit imagery, or ongoing harassment of others can also create a hostile environment that affects your ability to do your job.
Courts consider the combined circumstances rather than viewing every event in isolation. Relevant factors include the frequency and severity of the conduct, whether it was physically threatening, and whether it unreasonably interfered with work performance. A direct employment decision isn’t required in every hostile work environment claim.
Examples of Sexual Harassment at Work
Sexual harassment can be physical, verbal, nonverbal, digital, or part of the broader workplace environment. It may occur in an office, through workplace messaging platforms, during business travel, at work events, or through conduct outside the workplace that affects employment.
- Unwanted touching, hugging, or kissing
- Blocking someone’s movement or standing too close in a threatening way
- Sexual assault or groping
- Sexual comments about a person’s appearance or body
- Sexually explicit jokes or stories
- Repeated requests for dates or sexual contact after being declined
- Sexual rumors about a coworker
- Sending explicit emails, texts, or workplace messages
- Displaying or sharing sexually explicit images or videos
- Making suggestive gestures or facial expressions
- Using social media or personal devices to direct sexual content at a coworker
- Displaying sexually explicit content in the workplace
- Tolerating or normalizing sexual jokes, comments, or conduct
- Engaging in workplace-wide behavior that affects one or more employees
California & Federal Sexual Harassment Protections
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are two major sources of workplace protections. California law prohibits harassment based on sex and related protected characteristics, including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Title VII prohibits covered employers from discriminating on the basis of sex, including conduct connected to pregnancy.
California harassment protections may apply to employees, applicants, unpaid interns, volunteers, and contractors. Federal Title VII generally applies to employers with 15 or more employees. Coverage, procedures, and deadlines can differ under state and federal law based on employer size, worker status, claim type, and other circumstances.
Harassment and discrimination are related but distinct concepts. Harassment generally concerns unwelcome conduct that changes workplace conditions, while discrimination involves employment decisions made because of a protected characteristic. The same events can support both kinds of claims.
What to Do After Sexual Harassment at Work
Practical next steps depend on your circumstances, particularly whether the harasser is your supervisor, whether you’re still working, and whether your employer has already taken action against you. Focus first on preserving accurate records and understanding the available reporting options.
Common Questions
About Workplace Sexual Harassment
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Does sexual harassment have to be sexual in nature?Not necessarily. Harassment based on a person's sex, including offensive remarks, jokes, or conduct related to someone's gender, can qualify as sexual harassment even if it is not explicitly sexual. What matters is whether the conduct was based on sex and whether it was severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile work environment.
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Does the harasser have to be my supervisor?No. A coworker, client, contractor, or vendor can also be liable for sexual harassment. When the harasser is not a supervisor, the employer may still be liable if they knew or should have known about the harassment and failed to take corrective action.
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Do the victim and harasser have to be of opposite sexes?No. Sexual harassment claims can involve parties of the same sex. The genders of the parties involved are not determinative; what matters is the conduct and its impact.
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Can my employer fire me for reporting sexual harassment?No. Retaliation against an employee for reporting harassment, including termination, demotion, or any other adverse employment action, is illegal. If you were fired or punished for reporting, you may have both a harassment claim and a separate retaliation claim.
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What if I never formally reported the harassment?You may still have a valid claim. However, California law generally requires that employers have an opportunity to address harassment before they can be held liable. If reporting through internal channels was not possible — for example, because the harasser was the owner of the company — courts take that into account.
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What if I waited months or years before coming forward?You can still have a valid claim as long as you are within the applicable filing deadline. Courts recognize that many survivors of sexual harassment delay coming forward for legitimate reasons, including fear of retaliation, disbelief, or emotional difficulty. What matters is whether your claim falls within the statute of limitations.
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I can't afford an attorney. What are my options?Nosrati Law handles all sexual harassment cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. There are no upfront costs and no hourly fees.
Meet Our Team
Exclusively Employment Law. Exclusively for Employees.
Our Satisfied Clients
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“In a world of employment attorneys who do a disservice to their profession, Omid consistently bucks this trend and prosecutes only the cases he believes in and clients that he trusts.”- Industry P.
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“If you are in search of the best look no further. I couldn't be more please with my experience at the Law Office of Omid Nosrati.”- Wendy H.
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“This was my second experience ever needing representation and Omid and his team exceeded all expectations. There were so responsive and attentive i felt like I was the one not responding fast enough.”- Jack Y.
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“My case was resolved in less than a year. I was very happy with the outcome. I was provided with detailed information on how my case would progress and the most likely outcome.”- Shawn G.
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“I would 100% recommend and use his services again in the future if i were ever in need.”- Kenneth I.
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“I am happy with the results ! If you want a Lawyer that goes that extra mile ...Omid Nosrati is the Lawyer your looking for ... Thank you Law office of Omid Nosrati!”- Rolando S.
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“They had excellent communication skills, had great attention to my case, responded quickly, attentive and kept me updated at all times during the long process.”- Former Client
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“Not only was he able to defend me from wrongful termination, his calm and empathetic demeanor offered emotional succor to myself and those I care about most.”- Former Client
In The News
