Workplace Harassment Claims in San Bernardino
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
San Bernardino workers — including the Inland Empire's massive warehouse and temp workforce — are protected by California's FEHA at any employer size, with 3 years to file and uncapped damages. Temp and contract workers are covered too. Document what happened and get a free consultation before evidence disappears.
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 warehouse night shift is quota'd and camera-blind in the back aisles — that's where he corners me. The law calls it → hostile work environment — isolated-workspace risk
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 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 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 San Bernardino cases before they start?
- Temp workers bounce between assignments — but the 3-year clock runs from the harassment, not from when your assignment ends. Don't let a new placement bury an old claim.
- The federal EEOC window is only 300 days — much shorter than California's 3 years. If federal claims matter, the short clock controls.
- After the CRD right-to-sue notice: exactly 1 year to sue.
- Harassment is covered at ANY employer size; discrimination claims need 5+ employees.
- If English isn't your first language: CRD accepts complaints in multiple languages, and language barriers don't extend deadlines.
Where do sexual harassment 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.
- Fast food — Rancho Cucamonga EEOC v. Del Taco, LLC (C.D. Cal.): $1.25 million consent decree (2020) over allegations that a general manager and shift leader at Rancho Cucamonga-area stores subjected young female workers almost daily to unwelcome physical contact, vulgar comments, and propositions for sex — and that complaints went unaddressed. 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 sexual harassment 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 everything — shift logs, quota records, texts, witness names. Warehouse evidence disappears fast with turnover.
- File with the California Civil Rights Department within 3 years — online via the CCRS portal or by phone (800-884-1684). Filing is centralized statewide, so you never need to appear at an office.
- Or file with the EEOC within 300 days — online via the Public Portal (the LA District Office covers San Bernardino County).
- If you're temp-placed: name BOTH the staffing agency and the worksite employer in your complaint.
- After your 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.
$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 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 workplace discrimination instead — or both? San Bernardino employment discrimination guide →
Asked by San Bernardino workers.
I work in an Inland Empire warehouse and my supervisor is harassing me — what are my rights?
FEHA protects you regardless of the warehouse's size or your immigration status, with 3 years to file with the CRD. Document shifts, quotas, and witnesses now — warehouse turnover erodes evidence fast. Retaliation (cut shifts, worse assignments, termination) after you report is independently illegal.
I was placed by a temp agency — can I still sue for harassment, and who is responsible?
Yes. California explicitly covers workers 'providing services pursuant to a contract,' and both the staffing agency and the worksite employer can be liable. The region's 42,900 employment-services jobs make this the Inland Empire's most common harassment-claim structure — name both entities.
My employer has fewer than 5 employees — am I still protected?
For harassment, yes — FEHA's harassment protections apply at one or more employees. The 5-employee threshold only applies to discrimination claims. Small trucking outfits, family-run shops, and small contractors are all covered.
I'm a truck driver classified as an independent contractor — does FEHA still protect me from harassment?
Yes. FEHA's harassment protections extend to people 'providing services pursuant to a contract' — the contractor label doesn't strip harassment protection. (It may affect other claims, which is exactly the kind of thing a free consultation sorts out.)
Where do I file a workplace harassment lawsuit in San Bernardino?
After getting your CRD right-to-sue notice: the Civil Division at the San Bernardino Justice Center, 247 West Third Street. Before that, your CRD complaint is filed online or by phone — you don't need to travel to any office.
Does it matter that there's no EEOC office in San Bernardino?
No. The LA District Office covers the county, and virtually everyone files online through the EEOC Public Portal anyway. For most Inland Empire workers, the state CRD route (3-year window, uncapped damages) is the stronger path regardless.
Talk to a team that has stood up for workers for decades.
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