Los Angeles Workplace Harassment Lawyer
Harassment at work — sexual, racial, or based on any protected trait — 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
If you experienced harassment at a Los Angeles workplace, California's FEHA protects you regardless of employer size — even one-person shops — with uncapped damages and attorney's fees. You have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department. Our attorneys have recovered millions for California workers, including a $23.5 million sexual harassment settlement for 150 women. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What this looks like in real life — and what the law calls it.
Sexual harassment is usually smaller, repeated, and easier to doubt than people expect. The legal test is whether unwelcome conduct tied to sex made your job hostile — it does not have to be physical or loud.
He says the comments are jokes. They're about my body, and they happen every shift.
The law calls it → sexual harassment (hostile work environment)
- My manager hinted my hours depend on how 'friendly' I am after work. The law calls it → quid pro quo sexual harassment
- The comments stopped being about work a long time ago. Now it's my body, my clothes, my dating life. The law calls it → hostile work environment based on sex
- After I turned him down, my good shifts disappeared and my reviews got worse. The law calls it → retaliation — illegal even if the original complaint isn't proven
- They didn't fire me. They just made every day bad enough that I'd quit. The law calls it → constructive discharge
- The showrunner says roles like mine 'depend on chemistry reads' — off the lot, after hours. The law calls it → quid pro quo sexual harassment
These cover unwelcome sexual advances or comments, quid pro quo (job tied to sexual conduct), hostile work environment based on sex, pregnancy and gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, retaliation for reporting — 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 sexual harassment claim in Los Angeles?
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 sexual harassment 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 sexual harassment claims at employers with any size — one or more employees, including contractors and interns.
Full California sexual harassment law: deadlines, damages & agencies →What mistakes end Los Angeles cases before they start?
- California's 3-year CRD window is generous — but the federal EEOC window is still only 300 days. If federal claims matter to your case, the short clock controls.
- After your CRD right-to-sue notice: exactly 1 year to file suit. The notice starts a hard clock many people miss.
- Harassment is covered at ANY employer size (1+), but discrimination claims need 5+ employees — different claims, different thresholds.
- For ongoing harassment, deadlines run from the most recent incident — but waiting shrinks your evidence and your leverage.
- California recognizes limited tolling doctrines — such as equitable tolling and the continuing-violation rule — that can extend deadlines in narrow situations; a lawyer can check whether any apply to you.
Where do sexual harassment claims arise in Los Angeles?
The law protects workers across industries — these are simply the corners of Los Angeles's economy where claims concentrate. LA's signature industries map onto the EEOC's harassment risk factors: power-imbalanced creative workplaces, tipped hospitality work, isolated hotel housekeeping, and decentralized logistics.
Entertainment & production
Project-based hiring, gatekeeper power dynamics, and reputation-dependent careers suppress reporting — the structural conditions #MeToo exposed haven't disappeared.
Hospitality & hotels
Housekeepers working alone in rooms are a textbook EEOC isolated-workspace risk; tipped restaurant workers depend on managers and customers for income.
Healthcare
Some of the country's largest hospital systems — night shifts, physician hierarchies, and patient-perpetrated harassment.
Tech / Silicon Beach
Startup cultures with thin HR and equity-dependent employees reluctant to report — FEHA's 1-employee harassment rule covers even the smallest.
Logistics & ports
Decentralized worksites, contractor layers, and male-dominated yards around the ports complicate accountability.
Where do you file a sexual harassment claim in Los Angeles?
State · CRDCalifornia Civil Rights Department
320 West 4th Street, Suite 1000, 10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(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
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 785-3090
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday EEOC Public Portal →
CourtLos Angeles County Superior Court
111 North Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 830-0800
The filing path, step by step
- Document everything — dates, witnesses, messages. California gives you more time than most states, but evidence fades fast.
- File with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) within 3 years — online via the CCRS portal, by phone (800-884-1684), or through the LA office at 320 W 4th St. Filing is centralized statewide.
- Or file with the EEOC within 300 days at the Roybal Federal Building (255 E Temple St) — charges dual-file between CRD and EEOC.
- Request a right-to-sue notice from CRD when ready to litigate — then you have 1 year to file suit.
- State claims go to LA County Superior Court (Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N Hill St); federal Title VII claims to the Central District of California.
Real verdicts and recoveries in workplace harassment and discrimination cases.
$23.5 million
150 women · Sexual harassment (multi-plaintiff)
Financial services / brokerage · early 2000s
$1 million
a group of women · Sexual harassment (multi-plaintiff)
Shipping / logistics · 2022
$319,000
1 plaintiff · Title VII sexual harassment + retaliation (won at trial AND on Ninth Circuit appeal)
Janitorial / contract services · 2012
$15 million
1 plaintiff · Gender pay & promotion discrimination — jury verdict (punitive damages under federal + Oregon law)
Athletic apparel · 2026
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 Los Angeles through attorneys licensed in California. We maintain physical offices in Beverly Hills, California and Tacoma, Washington. We do not maintain a physical office in Los Angeles unless expressly stated. Consultations may be available by phone, video, or by arrangement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Also from our Los Angeles team
Facing workplace discrimination instead — or both? Los Angeles employment discrimination guide →
Asked by Los Angeles workers.
My employer has fewer than 5 employees — am I still protected in California?
For harassment, yes. FEHA's harassment protections apply to employers with one or more employees — and they extend to applicants, unpaid interns, volunteers, and contractors. The 5-employee threshold only applies to discrimination claims.
I work in entertainment — everyone says reporting will end my career. What are my options?
California gives you 3 years to file with the CRD, which means you can act when you're ready. Retaliation — blacklisting, dropped representation, sudden 'creative differences' — is independently illegal under FEHA. Consultations are confidential, and a lawyer can map options without anything becoming public.
A customer — not a coworker — harassed me at my LA restaurant job. Is my employer liable?
Potentially yes. FEHA makes employers liable for harassment by non-employees (customers, clients, vendors) where the employer knew or should have known and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action.
I'm a PA on a production and a crew lead keeps cornering me when we're off on location. What are my rights?
That's harassment your employer must address. Isolated, location-based work is a recognized EEOC risk factor, and FEHA reaches harassment by supervisors, coworkers, and third parties alike. Report it in writing and keep a copy — and know that project-based or 'freelance' status does not put you outside FEHA's protection.
How much is a California harassment case worth compared to other states?
California has NO caps on compensatory or punitive damages under FEHA — unlike Texas or federal law, which cap recovery at $300,000 even against the largest employers. FEHA also awards attorney's fees to prevailing workers. Because FEHA caps nothing, California recoveries can far exceed what the same facts would yield under capped federal or Texas law.
How long do I actually have to file in Los Angeles?
Three years to file with the CRD, then 1 year after your right-to-sue notice to file in court. The federal EEOC window is shorter — 300 days. The safest move: talk to a lawyer early so the right claims get filed on the right clocks.
Talk to a team that has stood up for workers for decades.
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