Workplace Harassment Lawyer for Reno Workers
Harassment at work — sexual, racial, or based on any protected trait — is illegal. And Nevada may give you as little as 300 days 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 Erika Smolyar, admitted in Nevada · Bar No. 16450
Reno workers have 300 days to file harassment complaints with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission — its Northern Nevada office is right on Corporate Blvd, though filing is online-only. There's no EEOC office in Reno (San Francisco's district covers Washoe County), but the EEOC Public Portal works from anywhere. A Reno facility paid $400,000 in a recent EEOC racial-harassment case — these claims are real here.
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
- Night-shift at the distribution center: two of us in a wing, and he always finds a reason to be there. The law calls it → hostile work environment — isolated-shift 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 Nevada 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 Reno?
The controlling clock is 300 days — to file with nevada’s state agency (online). Every route has its own deadline, and they start from different events:
Nevada sexual harassment filing deadlines · last reviewed 2026-06-10
- To file with Nevada’s state agency (online) 300 days
300 days from the alleged violation to file with NERC (NRS 233.160(1)(b))
NRS 613.310 to 613.4383, inclusive - To sue after the state clears you 90 days
90 days from receipt of right-to-sue notice (NRS 613.412 — available on request after complaint pending 180+ days; NRS 613.420 — issued if NERC finds no violation)
NRS 613.310 to 613.4383, inclusive
| Route | Deadline | The fine print | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| To file with Nevada’s state agency (online) | 300 days | 300 days from the alleged violation to file with NERC (NRS 233.160(1)(b)) | NRS 613.310 to 613.4383, inclusive |
| To sue after the state clears you | 90 days | 90 days from receipt of right-to-sue notice (NRS 613.412 — available on request after complaint pending 180+ days; NRS 613.420 — issued if NERC finds no violation) | NRS 613.310 to 613.4383, inclusive |
Nevada's fair employment practices law (Equal Opportunities for Employment)
NRS 613.310 to 613.4383, inclusive
Covers sexual harassment claims at employers with 15 or more employees under Nevada law.
Full Nevada sexual harassment law: deadlines, damages & agencies →What mistakes end Reno cases before they start?
- 300 days for NERC and EEOC — and NERC is online-only; no walk-ins.
- After a right-to-sue notice: just 90 days to sue.
- No EEOC office in Reno means some workers wrongly assume they can't file federally — the Public Portal works from anywhere.
- Gigafactory workers: Storey County worksites sometimes confuse venue questions — don't let jurisdiction confusion eat your window.
- Nevada requires 15+ employees for the statutory claim — small-employer situations need early legal triage.
Where do sexual harassment claims arise in Reno?
The law protects workers across industries — and these are real, public enforcement actions in and around Reno, not hypotheticals. Reno pairs casino-hospitality risk factors with one of the country's fastest-growing warehouse-distribution corridors — and the EEOC's 'decentralized workplaces' risk factor expressly names distribution centers.
- EEOC v. PRC Industries (Reno): $400,000 settlement (October 2023) of a racial harassment and retaliation suit — two Black employees endured months of slurs from supervisors and were fired by text message within hours of reporting. 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 Reno?
State · NERCNevada Equal Rights Commission
1325 Corporate Blvd., Room 115
Reno, NV 89502
(775) 823-6690
Online-only filing — NERC no longer accepts complaints by mail, fax, or in person.
File online →Federal · EEOCEEOC San Francisco District Office
There is no EEOC office in Reno — Washoe County is covered by the San Francisco District Office. In practice, everyone files online via the EEOC Public Portal or by phone (1-800-669-4000), or with NERC's Reno office via dual-filing.
450 Golden Gate Avenue, 5 WestSan Francisco, CA 94102-3661
1-800-669-4000
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday EEOC Public Portal →
CourtSecond Judicial District Court (Washoe County)
75 Court Street
Reno, NV 89501
(775) 328-3110
The filing path, step by step
- Document everything — texts especially. In the region's defining recent case, workers were fired BY TEXT after reporting slurs; those messages became evidence.
- File with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission within 300 days — online at mynerccomplaint.nv.gov (Reno office for phone help: 775-823-6690).
- Or file with the EEOC within 300 days via the Public Portal — no EEOC office exists in Reno; San Francisco's district covers Washoe County, but geography doesn't matter for online filing.
- Gigafactory/TRI-Center workers: your worksite is in Storey County, but NERC filing is statewide and online — county lines don't block your complaint.
- After a right-to-sue notice: 90 days to file at the Second Judicial District Court, 75 Court Street.
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 Nevada.
Erika Smolyar
NEVADA BAR NO. 16450
Erika Smolyar is an associate at Ackermann & Tilajef, a plaintiff-side labor and employment firm that represents workers across California, Washington, and Nevada.
Full bio →Our firm represents employees in Reno through attorneys licensed in Nevada. We maintain physical offices in Beverly Hills, California and Tacoma, Washington. We do not maintain a physical office in Reno unless expressly stated. Consultations may be available by phone, video, or by arrangement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Also from our Reno team
Facing workplace discrimination instead — or both? Reno employment discrimination guide →
Asked by Reno workers.
I work at the Tesla Gigafactory — it's in Storey County, not Reno. Where do I file a harassment complaint?
NERC filing is statewide and online — file at mynerccomplaint.nv.gov regardless of county, with phone help from the Reno office (775-823-6690). Storey County technically falls under the EEOC's San Francisco district, but the Public Portal makes that irrelevant. Don't let geography delay you: the window is 300 days.
There's no EEOC office in Reno — do I have to go to San Francisco to file?
No. File online through the EEOC Public Portal, by phone (1-800-669-4000), or with NERC's Reno office — charges dual-file between the agencies. Nobody travels to San Francisco for this.
My supervisor at a Sparks distribution center uses racial slurs and management does nothing. Is that illegal?
Yes. Nevada law (NRS 613.330) prohibits racial harassment, and this exact pattern happened here: the EEOC sued a Reno facility where two Black employees endured months of slurs, and the company paid $400,000 (2023). Management inaction after notice is where employer liability attaches.
I was fired by text message after reporting harassment at my warehouse job. Is that retaliation?
Very likely — and it mirrors the facts of the Reno area's defining recent case, where firing-by-text after harassment reports was part of a $400,000 EEOC settlement. Retaliation is independently illegal under NRS 613.340. Preserve those texts; they're evidence, not just insults.
I'm a dealer at a downtown Reno casino and regulars harass me — the floor manager says it's 'part of the job.' Is it?
No. Customer harassment is actionable when the employer knows and fails to act — tipped, customer-facing casino work is a recognized EEOC risk environment precisely because workers are told to tolerate it. 'Part of the job' is a confession, not a defense.
I got my NERC right-to-sue letter — how long do I have to file in Washoe County court?
90 days from receipt. The courthouse is the Second Judicial District Court at 75 Court Street in Reno. Ninety days disappears fast — if you have the letter in hand, the time to talk to a lawyer is now.
Talk to a team that has stood up for workers for decades.
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