Employment Discrimination Claims in San Bernardino
Discrimination at work — because of your race, national origin, age, disability, religion, or sexual orientation — is illegal. And California may give you as little as 3 years to act. How deadlines work ↓
Protected at work
$15M
Jury verdict · Hender v. Nike · gender pay discrimination · 2026
$23.5M
Settlement · 150 women · sexual harassment
Prior results don't guarantee a similar outcome.
Reviewed by Craig J. Ackermann, admitted in California · Bar No. 229832
Workplace discrimination in San Bernardino and the Inland Empire — by race, national origin, disability, age, or religion — is illegal under California's FEHA. Harassment is covered at any employer size; discrimination needs 5 or more, and FEHA covers temp and contract workers. You have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department, with uncapped damages.
What discrimination actually looks like — and what the law calls it.
Discrimination is rarely a single dramatic act. It's the pattern — the 'jokes,' the passed-over promotion, the accommodation that never comes, the sudden performance problem after you spoke up. The legal test is whether a protected trait drove how you were treated.
The 'nicknames' are slurs. Everyone laughs, so I'm supposed to laugh too.
The law calls it → racial or national-origin harassment
- Since I started wearing a hijab, I'm suddenly 'not a culture fit' for client meetings. The law calls it → religious discrimination
- They call me 'grandpa' in standups and gave the project I built to someone half my age. The law calls it → age-based harassment and discrimination (40+)
- I asked for a simple schedule change for my disability. Months later, still nothing — and now I'm 'unreliable.' The law calls it → failure to accommodate a disability
- I reported the slurs to HR. Two weeks later my performance was suddenly a problem. The law calls it → retaliation — illegal even if the original complaint isn't proven, as long as it was made in good faith
- The staffing agency 'rotates' Black temps out of the forklift-certified roles the client pays more for. The law calls it → race discrimination in placement — both employers can be liable
These cover race and national origin, disability (and accommodations), age (40 and over), religion (and accommodations), sex and pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity — in any industry. If something here is familiar, you don't have to be sure before you ask.
Illustrative situations — not client accounts.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal. Here's the whole process — and what we handle for you at each step.
- A free, confidential consultation. Usually 15 minutes. You tell us what happened; we tell you honestly whether you may have a case and which deadlines apply to you. If we're not the right fit, we say so.
- We build the record. We help you preserve what matters — texts, emails, schedules, reviews, witness names — and identify your available claims under California and federal law.
- We handle the filings. Agency complaints have strict formats and unforgiving deadlines. We draft and file with the right agency — state, federal, or both — so nothing lapses while you keep living your life.
- We negotiate from strength. Most matters resolve without a trial — through demand letters and negotiated settlements covering lost pay, emotional distress, and — where negotiable — terms addressing references and future employment.
- If they won't make it right, we litigate. We've taken cases to trial when employers won't make it right. Ask us how fees and case costs work before you decide anything.
How long do you have to file a workplace discrimination claim in San Bernardino?
The controlling clock is 3 years — to file with california’s civil rights agency. Every route has its own deadline, and they start from different events:
California workplace discrimination filing deadlines · last reviewed 2026-06-10
- To file with California’s civil rights agency 3 years
3 years from the unlawful practice to file with CRD (Gov. Code § 12960)
Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq. - To file with the federal EEOC 300 days
300 days (California is a deferral state — CRD is the FEPA); for harassment the clock runs from the last incident
eeoc.gov - To sue after the state clears you 1 year
1 year from CRD right-to-sue notice to file civil action (Gov. Code § 12965); right-to-sue notice required before filing your own lawsuit
Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq.
| Route | Deadline | The fine print | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| To file with California’s civil rights agency | 3 years | 3 years from the unlawful practice to file with CRD (Gov. Code § 12960) | Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq. |
| To file with the federal EEOC | 300 days | 300 days (California is a deferral state — CRD is the FEPA); for harassment the clock runs from the last incident | eeoc.gov |
| To sue after the state clears you | 1 year | 1 year from CRD right-to-sue notice to file civil action (Gov. Code § 12965); right-to-sue notice required before filing your own lawsuit | Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq. |
Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq.
Covers workplace discrimination claims at employers with 5 or more employees (harassment itself is covered at any size).
Full California workplace discrimination law: deadlines, damages & agencies →What mistakes end San Bernardino cases before they start?
- Temp assignments end; deadlines don't. The 3-year CRD clock runs from the discriminatory act, not your last placement.
- Federal claims still run on the 300-day EEOC clock — far shorter than California's window.
- Name BOTH the staffing agency and the warehouse in the complaint — waiting to identify the right employer burns clock.
- The CRD accepts complaints in multiple languages, but a language barrier never extends a deadline.
Where do workplace discrimination claims arise in San Bernardino?
The law protects workers across industries — and these are real, public enforcement actions in and around San Bernardino, not hypotheticals. The Inland Empire's logistics-dominated economy concentrates EEOC harassment risk factors: isolated warehouse shifts, temp-staffing layers that blur accountability, and dispersed trucking worksites.
- Race / national origin EEOC v. Scully Distribution Services / SDS Fontana Holdings (C.D. Cal., Eastern Division): $630,000 consent decree (2012) over allegations that management at the Fontana-based trucking company referred to Black drivers with racial slurs and East Indian drivers as “Taliban” and “camel jockey,” and gave non-white drivers less favorable assignments. source ↗
These are government enforcement actions by the EEOC — not this firm's cases. They show how the law is enforced locally; results vary with the facts.
Where do you file a workplace discrimination claim in San Bernardino?
State · CRDCalifornia Civil Rights Department
1325 Spruce Street, Suite 320
Riverside, CA 92507
(800) 884-1684
Filing is CENTRALIZED statewide: online via California Civil Rights System (CCRS), phone 800-884-1684, 711 relay, TTY 1-800-700-2320, email contact.
File online →Federal · EEOCEEOC Los Angeles District Office
There is no EEOC office in San Bernardino — the county is served by the Los Angeles District Office. Most workers file online via the EEOC Public Portal.
Roybal Federal Building, 255 East Temple St., 4th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 785-3090
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday EEOC Public Portal →
CourtSan Bernardino County Superior Court
247 West Third Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0210
(909) 708-8678
The filing path, step by step
- Document the pattern — shift logs, quotas, accommodation requests, who was promoted. Warehouse evidence disappears with turnover.
- File with the California Civil Rights Department within 3 years — online via the CCRS portal. Filing is centralized statewide.
- If you're temp-placed: name BOTH the staffing agency and the worksite employer.
- After a CRD right-to-sue notice: 1 year to file at the San Bernardino Justice Center, Civil Division (247 W Third St).
Real verdicts and recoveries in workplace harassment and discrimination cases.
$15 million
1 plaintiff · Gender pay & promotion discrimination — jury verdict (punitive damages under federal + Oregon law)
Athletic apparel · 2026
$1.3 million
19 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
Construction · 2021
$1 million
27 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
Construction · 2020
$725,000
14 individuals · Racial harassment (14 individual arbitrations)
Manufacturing (paint) · 2025
Dozens of additional sexual harassment matters resolved in the $100,000–$400,000 range.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
The attorney behind this page.
You'll talk to real people at our firm — not a call center. This page is reviewed by an attorney licensed in California.
Craig J. Ackermann
CALIFORNIA BAR NO. 229832
Craig Ackermann focuses on sexual and racial harassment cases, with more than two decades of employment law and class action experience.
Full bio →Our firm represents employees in San Bernardino through attorneys licensed in California. We maintain physical offices in Beverly Hills, California and Tacoma, Washington. We do not maintain a physical office in San Bernardino unless expressly stated. Consultations may be available by phone, video, or by arrangement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Also from our San Bernardino team
Facing sexual harassment instead — or both? San Bernardino sexual harassment guide →
Asked by San Bernardino workers.
Racial and accent 'jokes' are constant on my Inland Empire warehouse floor — is that illegal?
Yes. FEHA bars race and national-origin harassment at any employer size and covers temp and contract workers explicitly. The Inland Empire's logistics floors are a recognized risk environment. You have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department; document the pattern before warehouse turnover buries it.
I was injured at my San Bernardino warehouse and now they won't accommodate — what are my rights?
FEHA requires employers with 5 or more workers to reasonably accommodate disabilities and engage in a good-faith interactive process — broader than the ADA. Refusing light duty or a transfer, then disciplining you, can be unlawful. File with the Civil Rights Department within 3 years; damages are uncapped.
I'm temp-placed in an Inland Empire warehouse — who is liable for discrimination?
Both can be. California explicitly covers workers 'providing services pursuant to a contract,' and both the staffing agency and the worksite employer can be liable — the Inland Empire's most common claim structure. Name both. File with the Civil Rights Department within 3 years.
At 60 I'm pushed off Inland Empire routes for younger drivers — is that age discrimination?
Possibly. FEHA protects workers 40 and older (discrimination needs 5+ employees). A driver labeled a contractor may actually be a covered employee — and that classification is exactly what a consultation checks. Being replaced by much younger drivers can be evidence. File with the Civil Rights Department within 3 years; damages are uncapped.
Talk to a team that has stood up for workers for decades.
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