Sexual Harassment Attorneys in Los Angeles & Orange County

Los Angeles Sexual Harassment cases and the devastating results

Los Angeles Sexual Harassment lawyers deal with cases in which women are sexually harassed. When a woman is Sexually Harassed at work, it can be one of the most distressing situations she will ever go through. She can be forced to choose between keeping her job to provide for herself, her family or her children and submitting to a Sexual Harasser. We do not take these situations lightly and do not try to get quick and easy settlements.

We have been representing women in Los Angeles County in sexual harassment cases for a long time and have a reputation for achieving justice for our clients.

If you have a potential sexual harassment case in Los Angeles County, please give us a call for a confidential consultation.

Los Angeles Sexual Harassment Lawyers - Our Personal Approach

If we accept your Los Angeles Sexual Harassment case, you will have personal access to your attorney who will work with you through the entire process and who you will be able to personally reach any time. All messages are returned by the attorney within 24 hours. We can also give you a detailed evaluation of your sexual harassment case and the potential outcomes.

Why you need a Sexual Harassment Expert

Employment and Sexual Harassment Law changes on an almost daily basis. The Courts are constantly redefining what "Sexual Harassment" means and how Sexual Harassment Laws apply to employers and employees in different situations. Our Los Angeles Sexual Harassment attorneys go to great lengths to remain up-to-date on all the changes in Sexual Harassment Law and are better equipped to litigate Sexual Harassment cases.

Sexual Harassment Law in California

Sexual Harassment is defined under Federal law by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These laws can be enforced by individuals in Court through a private attorney after receiving a right-to-sue notice from the Equal Opportunity Commission, commonly referred to as the EEOC or by the EEOC itself. Under California law, Sexual Harassment is defined by the Fair Employment and Housing Act which is sometimes referred to as FEHA and can be enforced by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing or DFEH, or through a lawsuit filed by private attorneys. It is important to note that due to the large number of complaints and inquiries the EEOC and DFEH have to review on a daily basis, the chances of having a case taken and prosecuted by either the DFEH or EEOC is low. Employees, whether or not they are terminated for a lawful reason, rarely feel that they are rightfully terminated, so many complaints are filed and these agencies simply do not have the resources to adequately pursue all of them.

Both the Federal laws and California law recognize two kinds of sexual harassment.

Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment refers to Sexual Harassment in which the employee is expect to submit to sexual contact, behavior or perform acts of a sexual nature as a condition of employment or to obtain benefits or preferences in the workplace and in some cases to get promoted or to keep their jobs.

To have a viable case for Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment, a Plaintiff generally needs to establish that there were sexual advances that were unwanted and unconsented to. The advances need to be from a supervisor or someone higher up in the chain of command than the victim. If the perpetrator is not higher in the chain of command, not a supervisor or not the victim’s supervisor, the victim needs to show that the supervisors or individuals that are managing agents of the employer were aware of the harassment, should have known of the harassment or were not careful about who they hire. The victim also needs to show that the victims refusal to be subjected to this abuse resulted in what the law cause adverse employment action such as not getting coveted work assignments, not getting benefits at work, demotions or termination.

Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment refers to Sexual Harassment in which the employee is forced to endure sexual behaviors, conversations, touch or an overall sexual atmosphere in the workplace that is unwanted or offensive. The victim in Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment needs to establish that the Supervisors or managing agents of the employer were aware of the sexual harassment or Hostile Environment or should have known about the inappropriate working conditions. The victim’s suffering in these cases does NOT need to include the loss of any employment benefits or the loss of a job.

Many sexual harassers and employers of sexual harassers often try to say that the sexual advances were welcomed or the victim engaged in the sexual conduct without a gun being pointed to her head. This is not a requirement under the Federal Sexual Harassment laws or the state Sexual Harassment laws. Many sexual harassers will not take NO for an answer and a lot of them still force the victim to engage in sexual conduct with express or implied threats and force the victim to choose between being a victim, or not being able to provide for their children. Just because brute force was not used to sexually harass a woman is not a defense recognized under the law.