Are you the victim of sexual harassment in the workplace? At Omega Law Group Accident & Injury Attorneys, we can advocate for your rights and take legal action as your sexual harassment lawyer in Long Beach.
Founded in 2016, our attorneys have decades of combined experience. Together, we have successfully represented clients, held offenders accountable, and recovered compensation. Let our family take care of your family as your employment lawyer in Long Beach.
Your Rights as an Employee in Long Beach
California provides some of the strongest workplace protections in the country, ensuring employees are safeguarded against sexual harassment.
Under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, harassment of any kind, whether verbal, physical, or visual, is strictly prohibited. These laws apply to all employers with five or more employees and protect workers regardless of their role or seniority. As an employee, you have the right to do the following:
- Work in an environment free from harassment and discrimination
- Report harassment without fear of retaliation
- Seek compensation for emotional distress, lost wages, and other damages
These laws empower survivors to take action by holding employers and offenders accountable for their behavior. With the support of an experienced Long Beach sexual harassment attorney, you can stand up for your rights and pursue justice. Our Long Beach sexual harassment lawyers are here to guide you through this process and fight for the justice you deserve.
How to Prove a Sexual Harassment Claim in Long Beach
Proving workplace sexual harassment does not always mean having a recording, photograph, or other single piece of evidence that clearly captures what happened.
Evidence can come from many sources, and the circumstances surrounding the harassment can help establish what occurred. Depending on the circumstances of your case, this is what evidence that could support your sexual harassment claim might include:
- Emails, text messages, direct messages, or other written communications
- Inappropriate photographs, videos, or other digital material
- Witness statements from coworkers or other people who observed the conduct
- Complaints or reports made to a supervisor, human resources department, or employer
- Performance reviews, disciplinary records, schedules, or other employment records
- Documentation of unwanted comments, touching, propositions, threats, or other conduct
- Records showing retaliation against you after making a complaint
It is important to document incidents as soon as possible. Keeping copies of communication and creating a written record of what happened, including dates, locations, people involved, and witnesses, can help preserve evidence that could otherwise become difficult to locate later.
What the Civil Rights Department Considers When Evaluating Complaints
California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) considers specific facts, records, documents, and other evidence when investigating workplace harassment complaints. The investigation can include reviewing information submitted by both sides.
It can also require interviews with the parties as well as the witnesses. The legal requirements of your claim will likely depend on these details:
- The type of harassment
- Who committed it
- The circumstances in which it occurred
- Whether the employer knew or should have known about the conduct
A Long Beach sexual harassment attorney can review the available evidence and determine which claims and legal remedies could apply to your circumstances.
How Our Sexual Harassment Lawyers in Long Beach Can Help You
At Omega Law Group, we understand how deeply workplace harassment can impact your life, and we’re committed to providing the support and advocacy you need. Our approach starts with personalized attention. We take the time to listen to your story. From there, we’ll make sure we understand your unique circumstances and tailor a legal strategy that fits your goals.
Throughout the process, we offer compassionate representation, ensuring you feel heard, respected, and empowered every step of the way. Whether through strategic negotiations or courtroom litigation, we fight to hold offenders and employers accountable. These are steps that our sexual harassment attorneys in Long Beach can take to help you:
- Conducting a detailed case evaluation to determine your legal options
- Gathering evidence to strengthen your case
- Filing a formal complaint with your employer or the appropriate government agency
- Negotiating with your employer for a fair settlement to compensate you for damages
- Representing you in court, if necessary, to pursue justice for your case
Our personal injury lawyers in Long Beach are here to help.
Compensation a Long Beach Sexual Harassment Attorney Can Help You Recover
If you’ve experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, you may be entitled to recover compensation for the damages you’ve endured. We are committed to helping survivors hold offenders and employers accountable while pursuing compensation available under the law. The types of damages survivors may recover include:
- Emotional distress: Compensation for the mental anguish, anxiety, depression, and other emotional impacts caused by the harassment
- Lost wages and benefits: Recovery of income lost due to wrongful termination, missed work, or being forced to leave a hostile work environment
- Future earnings: Compensation for harm to your career or opportunities for advancement
- Attorney’s fees and court costs: Reimbursement for the expenses of pursuing legal action
Other potential remedies can address the workplace conditions that allowed the harassment to occur. For example, legal proceedings can result in changes to workplace policies, training, or other measures intended to prevent unlawful harassment from occurring again.
The compensation available in a case depends on the circumstances, the applicable law, the losses involved, and the evidence supporting the claim. Our Long Beach sexual harassment law firm fights to secure the justice our clients deserve. Whether through a settlement or trial, our team is dedicated to pursuing fair compensation that can help you rebuild your life.
Sexual Harassment Protections for Nontraditional Workers
Workplace sexual harassment protections are not limited to traditional full-time employees. California law also protects certain people who perform work in less traditional employment arrangements. Under FEHA, protections against harassment extend to these parties:
- Applicants
- Unpaid interns
- Volunteers
- People providing services pursuant to a contract
Protections for Contractors
California law also prohibits harassment of independent contractors and requires covered employers to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment. This means that someone in any of these positions could have legal protections even if they do not have the same employment arrangement as a traditional employee:
- Working as an independent contractor
- Participating in an unpaid internship
- Volunteering
- Providing services under a contract
For example, a person providing contracted services could potentially have a sexual harassment claim based on conduct occurring while performing work for a business. California law defines a person providing services pursuant to a contract based on these factors:
- The person’s control over the performance of the contract
- Whether they are independently established in business
- Control over the time, place, tools, and skills involved in the work
Because employment classifications can be complicated, being paid as a contractor or working outside a traditional employee arrangement does not necessarily mean you have no legal protections. An attorney can review the nature of your work relationship and the circumstances surrounding the harassment to determine which protections could apply.
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Employer Liability for Sexual Harassment in Long Beach
An employer might have legal responsibility for workplace sexual harassment. California law requires covered employers to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment and imposes different standards of responsibility depending on who committed the harassment.
When harassment is committed by a supervisor or agent, an employer can be held responsible for the supervisor’s or agent’s conduct under FEHA. When harassment is committed by a nonsupervisory employee, employer liability can depend on these details:
- Whether the employer or its agents or supervisors knew about the conduct
- Whether the employer or its agents or supervisors should have known about it
- Whether they failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action
California law provides that an employer can have responsibility for harassment of any of these parties when the employer or its agents or supervisors knew or should have known about the conduct and failed to take appropriate corrective action:
- Employees
- Applicants
- Unpaid interns or volunteers
- People providing services pursuant to a contract
Employers Must Work to Prevent Harassment
The law also requires employers to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment. This can make the employer’s response an important part of a sexual harassment claim. If you reported harassment and the employer failed to do the following, records of these reports and the employer’s response could become important evidence in your case:
- Investigate your claim
- Take appropriate corrective action
- Stop the conduct from continuing
Employers cannot lawfully retaliate against workers for exercising rights protected by California employment laws. Depending on the circumstances, retaliation includes adverse employment actions taken after an employee reports harassment or participates in an investigation.
Determining employer liability requires examining who committed the harassment, what the employer knew or should have known, how the employer responded, and the relationship between the people involved. Long Beach sexual harassment attorneys can help.
Statutes of Limitations for Sexual Harassment Lawsuits
Legal deadlines for filing sexual harassment lawsuits in California vary depending on different factors. Our sexual harassment law firm in Long Beach can determine how long you have to take legal action.
Generally speaking, the following deadlines apply in workplace sexual abuse cases.
Under California Law (FEHA)
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) provides survivors with three years from the date of the harassment to file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD).
Once a complaint is filed, you may request a right-to-sue notice, which allows you to file a lawsuit in civil court. This deadline is governed by California Government Code § 12960(e), which generally outlines the three-year time frame.
Under Federal Law (Title VII)
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employees generally must file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 300 days of the harassment if the claim is also covered under state law.
After receiving a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC, you have 90 days to file a lawsuit in federal court. Failing to file a claim on time can bar you from pursuing justice and holding offenders accountable.
At Omega Law Group, our experienced Long Beach sexual harassment attorneys can file your case on time and handle it with the urgency it deserves.
Contact Omega Law Group ASAP for Legal Advice From Sexual Harassment Attorneys in Long Beach
At Omega Law Group, our Long Beach sexual harassment lawyers focus on putting our clients first. Always! If you’ve experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, you deserve dedicated legal representation to seek justice.
Our sexual harassment attorneys in Long Beach understand both the emotional and financial impact that this experience can have on your life. That’s why we are committed to fighting for our clients to hold both offenders and employers accountable for this behavior.
As a law firm that has received community-voted recognition from the Best of Inland Empire Awards, we’ve been acknowledged as Best Accident Law Firm, Best Personal Injury Attorney, and Best Legal Services. The sooner you call us, the sooner we can represent you.
