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Los Angeles Discrimination Lawyer

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Los Angeles Workplace Discrimination Attorney

Discrimination in the workplace is something California lawmakers don’t tolerate. Any form of discrimination based on a protected class is against the law and punishable by fines, citations, and other penalties. As an employee in Los Angeles, you have the right to take action against discrimination at work. Working in an environment free of discrimination allows you to earn a necessary income. When facing discrimination, you deserve the help of a Los Angeles discrimination lawyer.

When it’s time to go up against your employer for discriminating against you because of disability, national origin, age, race, religion, sex, or other class, contact the Los Angeles workplace discrimination lawyers at Nosratilaw, A Professional Law Corporation, for legal assistance. We understand employment law, but we also recognize that no two cases are the same. Each client deserves a team that will provide unique services to meet their needs.

Why Hire Our Los Angeles Employment Discrimination Lawyers?

  • We take client care seriously. We maintain longstanding relationships with our clients, offering advice and counsel far into the future. Our firm’s positive testimonials attest to our commitment to client satisfaction.
  • We have genuine case results. Our case results demonstrate what hard work and dedication can achieve. Our Los Angeles discrimination attorneys can fight for fair compensation on your behalf using our resources, experience, and knowledge.
  • We only charge clients if we win. Our employment law clients do not have to pay for our services out of pocket. We strive to make legal representation available to all workers in California by offering it on a contingency fee basis.

In our years of providing employment law services to people in Southern California, we’ve received numerous positive reviews from past clients. In fact, our firm has a perfect five out of five client rating on national lawyer rating sites such as Avvo and Lawyers.

Let our reputation for excellence work in your favor. Retain our firm for any type of workplace discrimination claim, as well as retaliation for reporting discrimination and harassment. We can connect you with the resources, tools, and legal actions suitable for recovering your damages.

Laws Protecting Employees from Discrimination

Federal and state laws protect employees from discrimination. Many of these laws involve the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. These laws prohibit employers from making decisions on the basis of religious creed, race, national origin, color, ancestry, mental or physical disability, marital status, sex, gender or gender identity, expression, age, sexual orientation, or military or veteran status.

In California, it’s also illegal to discriminate against people who have a genetic disposition to disease. Testing employees for genetic markers is against state law. State law also has a special provision for English-only policies.

Under California law, an employer cannot prohibit or limit employees from using any language within their workplace, unless the nature of the business necessitates a restriction. If this is the case, employees must receive notifications of when and where language use is restricted, as well as any consequences.

California laws are generally broader than federal statutes regarding civil rights, especially as they pertain to sexual harassment and discrimination against those with disabilities. Unlike federal laws, a victim of sexual harassment can hold a coworker personally liable for workplace harassment.

Regarding disability, state laws differ from the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. California law has a broader interpretation of physical disabilities, mental disabilities, and medical conditions, and it does not have a requirement for a substantial limitation on life activities.

What Is the EEOC and What Does it Do?

Workplace harassment charges fall under the jurisdiction of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This federal governing body investigates all complaints of harassment or discrimination in the workplace and makes recommendations to employers who it determines are in violation of state and federal employment law.

In many cases, you must file a complaint with the EEOC and receive a go-ahead to file a claim against an employer for workplace harassment.

How Do You File a Workplace Discrimination Complaint in California?

In California, you may file a workplace discrimination claim with one of two agencies: The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing or the EEOC. These two agencies have a work-sharing agreement, which means they work together to investigate and process claims. If you indicate you want to cross-file with both agencies, you don’t need to file a claim with both.

California anti-discrimination laws cover smaller employers who do not fall under the umbrella of federal law. If you work for a smaller company, with between 5 and 14 employees, you should file your claim with the DFEH instead of the EEOC. The federal organization only covers employers with 15 or more employees. If your organization has at least this many employees, you may choose to file with either.

To file a claim with the DFEH, contact the headquarters using their toll-free hotline for employee discrimination. Once you speak to a representative, you will set up an appointment at a district office and talk about your harassment or discrimination in person.

Once you file a report with the EEOC or the DFEH, they will investigate your claims and determine if your workplace was in violation of federal or state civil law. If they find evidence of harassment or discrimination, they will inform you and your workplace of any violation, as well as recommended actions.

At this point, you will be able to file a private claim with the help of a California civil rights attorney. These claims seek to compensate for any economic and general damages you suffered resulting from the workplace harassment. Contact a local Los Angeles discrimination lawyer if you have further questions regarding your claim.

Qualifications of Workplace Discrimination

The first step in acting against workplace discrimination is recognizing it. There are certain actions, situations, behaviors, and conduct that should be red flags for discrimination. Learning how to identify discrimination and take swift action is an important skill for any employee to possess.

Discrimination refers to any form of different treatment of one person than his/her peers because of a protected class. Common examples of workplace discrimination include:

  • Choosing one job applicant over another qualified one because of a protected class.
  • Excluding certain people during recruitment.
  • Discrimination against a pregnant employee.
  • Denying certain employees raises, promotions, or other benefits.
  • Paying two employees with equal qualifications different salaries.
  • Discriminating when assigning medical leave, disability leave, or retirement plans.
  • Discriminating when it comes to assigning promotions or laying off.
  • Refusing to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.
  • Refusing to hire or promote a person because of his/her religion, nationality, race, or sexuality.
  • Imposing stricter rules on someone because of a protected class.
  • Excluding someone from workplace meetings and opportunities.

There are many other ways that discrimination can find its way into the workplace. Anytime you feel that you are subjected to discriminatory practices, it is important to speak with an attorney who can help outline options you may have. Speaking with your attorney prior to speaking with your HR department can help ensure that any type of retaliatory behavior because of any report made is recognized and quickly addressed.

Employment Discrimination Lawyer Cost in Los Angeles, CA

At Nosratilaw, A Professional Law Corporation, our attorneys have compassion for employees dealing with serious workplace discrimination. We understand how detrimental discrimination can be to a worker’s financial, emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

We do not wish to add stress with expensive legal fees. Instead, our mission is to help wronged workers by offering worry-free legal representation. We offer our discrimination law services on a contingency fee basis.

In our contingency fee arrangement, you will only pay attorney’s fees if we succeed in achieving favorable results for your claim. If we do not obtain a financial award on your behalf, you will not pay for our legal representation during your case.

It will not matter how much time or work we put into your case; if we do not win, you will pay $0 for our services. Our law firm takes on the full risk of your discrimination case so you can take a negligent, dishonest, or criminal employer to court.

If our discrimination lawyers do win your case, we will deduct our firm’s service fees directly from your insurance claim settlement or verdict award. Our typical fee is one-third (33%) of the award secured. This may vary, however, based on the unique circumstances of your case. We take our fees from the award won on your behalf, not out of your personal funds. You can retain our discrimination attorneys for $0 upfront, with no hidden fees.

Adverse Employment Action

An adverse employment action is any negative job-related decision that materially affects an employee’s pay, position, responsibilities, or career prospects. This concept is important in discrimination claims in Los Angeles, where 47% of the population is Hispanic, and 8% is Black, because many workplace claims turn on whether an employer’s conduct rose to the level of a legally sufficient job action, not simply unfair treatment at work.

Courts look at whether the action had a real, tangible impact on employment, rather than a minor inconvenience or personality conflict. Adverse actions can take many forms, including:

  • Termination, layoff, or forced resignation
  • Demotion, pay reduction, loss of benefits, or reduced work hours
  • Denial of promotion, training, or key assignments tied to advancement
  • Unjustified discipline or write-ups are used to block raises or promotions
  • Transfer to a worse schedule, location, or materially inferior duties

An adverse employment action does not need to be permanent to matter. Temporary changes that significantly affect income, status, or future opportunities may also qualify, particularly when tied to discrimination, retaliation, or other unlawful motives. In a state that saw 88,531 employment discrimination complaints filed with the EEOC in 2024 alone, adverse actions are far from uncommon and could form the basis for a discrimination claim.

These types of claims can be challenging to face alone. When experiencing discrimination in the workplace, it can feel truly alienating and may leave you questioning if reporting it is the right thing to do. You may assume nothing will change, or maybe they are just jokes. However, anything that makes you feel uncomfortable at work may also cause the same feelings in others. Leaving behaviors unreported continues to expose others to detrimental words and actions.

Understanding Disparate Treatment vs. Disparate Impact

Employment discrimination generally falls into two legal categories: disparate treatment and disparate impact. While both are unlawful, they are proven in different ways and focus on different types of employer conduct.

Disparate treatment involves intentional discrimination. These acts result from an employer taking a negative action against an employee because of a protected characteristic such as race, sex, disability, age, or pregnancy. Common examples include holding one employee to harsher standards than peers, denying promotions to one worker while less-qualified coworkers advance, or making biased remarks that are tied to termination, demotion, or discipline.

Disparate impact focuses on policies rather than intent. When a workplace rule ends up hurting a protected group more than others, the rule itself may be unlawful. Examples include requiring a degree that has little to do with the job and blocks qualified workers from certain economic backgrounds. One question a complaint may examine is whether the rule really matters for the job.

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Do I Need a Discrimination Lawyer in Los Angeles, CA?

Handling your workplace discrimination claim alone could expose you to additional violations of your rights as a worker. Your employer may deceive you into thinking you do not have grounds for a claim, for example, or refuse to resolve the issue. If you hire a discrimination law firm, no one can take advantage of you during the claims process.

Your lawyer will walk you through each step while keeping in mind your interests. Instead of going up against your employer alone, your attorney can take care of settlement negotiations for you.

You may need a Los Angeles discrimination lawyer if you suffered serious harm because of an employer’s actions. If your employer’s unlawful conduct led to job termination, demotion, damage to your reputation, or another adverse outcome that impacted your life, a lawyer could help you get back on your feet.

You may need an attorney’s assistance in holding your employer accountable for discrimination. Your lawyer can argue for a favorable resolution while you focus on healing. If you are not sure whether the cost of discrimination attorneys will be worth it for your specific claim, talk to an attorney about your legal options. We offer free consultations in L.A. with cost-benefit analyses.

Our attorneys can review the main elements of your case, the damages you suffered, its potential value, and the expense of going to trial. Then, an attorney can compare the costs vs. the benefits of hiring our law firm. Our discrimination attorneys can help you understand the likelihood of winning your case.

Hire a Discrimination Lawyer

Workplace discrimination can occur in Silver Lake, Westwood, Hollywood, and elsewhere in Los Angeles. If you were subjected to unfair treatment due to your protected characteristic, your top priority should be to hire a discrimination lawyer who understands California’s complex discrimination laws and how to secure maximum compensation for your discrimination case.

With legal representation, you can gain a better understanding of how discrimination claims are handled and what types of evidence you need to win your case. If your employer tries to deny liability or takes steps to minimize the compensation you receive, your attorney can take decisive action by relying on the evidence to hold them accountable for the harm you endured.

With the help of the team at Nosratilaw, A Professional Law Corporation, you will gain the confidence you need to fight back against discriminatory practices through our extensive knowledge and experience. We understand how employers attempt to mask illegal behaviors in seemingly legal practices. Through our thorough investigation of your unique circumstances, we will build the right claim to help you recover damages you may be entitled to.

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FAQs

What Qualifies as Discrimination?

There is a wide variety of behaviors that count as employment discrimination. These actions are usually associated with an employee’s membership in a protected class, including their age, religion, race, or gender.

Many actions that specifically target someone belonging to a protected class are illegal and include refusing to hire or promote someone based on a protected class, not allowing disabled employees reasonable accommodations to perform their job, and creating workplace policies that negatively affect employees in certain protected classes.

What Should Employees Do if They Feel They Have Been Discriminated Against?

Employees who are victims of discrimination in the workplace have several options. They can first attempt to solve it internally with their supervisor or HR department. If their claims cannot be resolved through these channels, at the federal level, they can file a Charge of Discrimination with the U.S. EEOC. Before taking any action, be sure to speak with a discrimination lawyer who will review your unique circumstances and counsel you on the next steps.

What Are the Things That an Employer Cannot Discriminate Against?

In Los Angeles, there are several attributes that an employer cannot discriminate against. These statuses are often referred to as protected characteristics. They include race or skin tone, age, especially regarding individuals 40 and older, sex, which includes one’s pregnancy status, sexual orientation, or gender identity, national origin, disability status or genetic condition, which includes both physical and mental disabilities, religion, and much more.

How Do I Prove Discrimination at Work in California?

To prove employment discrimination depends on the type of discrimination that occurred. If an employee is treated differently due to their membership in a protected class, this is called disparate treatment discrimination. In these claims, they must prove that their employer is subject to laws against discrimination, that a negative action was taken by the employer against the employee that was specifically done due to the employee’s protected status, and the employee was harmed in some way by the action.

How Do You Tell if Your Boss Is Discriminating Against You?

Workplace discrimination can be difficult to determine, but common actions managers and employers take when engaging in discrimination include disparate treatment where you are being held to different standards than other employees including hours worked or levels of performance, negative comments based on an employee’s protected class, or sudden changes during which an employee is fired or demoted seemingly at random, even if their job performance has not changed.

Los Angeles Discrimination Lawyer

If you have experienced any adverse employment action at work that appears to arise out of discrimination, but are not sure what to do, talking to a local Los Angeles workplace discrimination attorney can help. The sooner you speak to a legal representative about possible discrimination at work, the better.

Prompt action can help limit your damages, such as the amount of money you lose because of a demotion or job termination. It also ensures you meet all the deadlines for filing a discrimination claim against your employer if it becomes necessary. The Los Angeles employment attorneys at Nosratilaw, A Professional Law Corporation, are always available to discuss a potential claim with you in Los Angeles. Don’t delay. Contact our office today.

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