Helping Victims of Discrimination in California

Discrimination in the workplace is illegal under both federal and state law. Unfortunately, workplace discrimination remains a significant problem in the United States, and employers in the San Francisco Bay Area are not immune from violating the law. At Polaris Law Group, we are dedicated to helping victims of workplace discrimination recover for their losses, and we regularly represent clients in a wide variety of employment discrimination claims.

Our committed legal team knows that discrimination can take many forms and can occur at any stage of the employment relationship. We also know how to identify discrimination and how to prove it in court, so please do not hesitate to reach out to our office today to learn more about your rights and options.

Contact us today at (888) 796-4010 to request an initial consultation.

What is Employment Discrimination?

Workplace discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee or a group of employees less favorably because of a protected characteristic. Protected characteristics include the following:

• Age (over 40)
• Disability
• Gender
• Race
• Religion
• National origin
• Pregnancy
• Sexual orientation

Discrimination can take a variety of forms, including the following:

• Refusing to hire an applicant
• Firing an employee
• Refusing to promote an employee
• Refusing to give a raise to an employee
• Demoting an employee
• Subjecting an employee to unfavorable working conditions
• Refusing to reasonably accommodate an employee’s disability

These are only some examples of how employment discrimination can occur. If you believe that you have been the victim of employment discrimination, you should discuss your situation with an experienced attorney as soon as possible.

Employment Discrimination Laws in California

Both federal and state laws protect employees from workplace discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency that enforces workplace discrimination laws, and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) is the agency that enforces similar laws in California. The DFEH also enforces laws that are specific to California, which provide even greater protection to employees. For example, under California law, an employee can bring a claim for discrimination against an employer with just five employees. In contrast, under federal law, an employer must have at least 15 employees for an employee to bring a claim for discrimination.

Employees who are the victims of workplace discrimination can bring a claim with either the EEOC or the DFEH. Under the law, however, employees must first file a claim with the appropriate agency before they can file a lawsuit in court. In California, employees have one year to file a charge of discrimination with the DFEH. The DFEH will then issue a “right to sue” letter, which gives the employee one year to file a lawsuit in court. If the employee has also filed a claim with the EEOC, the employee has 90 days to file a lawsuit after the EEOC has issued a “right to sue” letter.