Were you sexually harassed at work in Los Angeles?
Unwanted sexual comments, messages, touching, advances, or pressure involving your job may be unlawful. Retaliation after you objected or reported it may be unlawful too.
If your workplace rights were violated, you may be able to pursue compensation for lost pay or emotional harm, and hold your employer accountable.
Not sure whether it was "serious enough"? You can request a review even if you never reported it to HR or are still employed.
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.
If you experienced harassment at a Los Angeles workplace, California's FEHA protects you regardless of employer size, even one-person shops, and state-law remedies are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule, plus 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 could taking action help you pursue?
Depending on the facts, legal action may help recover financial losses, address emotional harm, restore employment opportunities, or require workplace changes. Available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law; no outcome is guaranteed.
Recover what you lost
Lost pay, benefits, hours, and employment opportunities tied to the unlawful conduct.
Address the harm
Compensation for emotional distress may be available where the law provides for it.
Restore an opportunity
Some cases may involve reinstatement, promotion, corrected records, or another job-related remedy.
Create accountability
A resolution may include policy changes, training, or other corrective workplace action.
You do not need a perfect record, or even to know whether what happened was illegal, before asking what your options are.
Common concerns we hear from employees
I never reported it to HR.
You may still have legal options. Not reporting immediately does not automatically end your rights, although the specific facts can affect a claim.
I don't have screenshots or witnesses.
You do not need a complete evidence file before contacting us. We can help identify texts, emails, schedules, witnesses, and other evidence that may matter.
I still work there.
You can ask questions while still employed. Retaliating against a worker for opposing unlawful conduct or asserting protected rights may itself be unlawful.
It was a customer or client, not a coworker.
In some circumstances, an employer may be responsible for the conduct of supervisors, coworkers, customers, clients, or other third parties.
Craig J. Ackermann
Shareholder · Admitted in California
Craig Ackermann represents California employees in wage-and-hour class actions, sexual and racial harassment, discrimination, and retaliation matters. He is licensed in California, Washington, and Texas.
Read Craig's full bio →Real verdicts and recoveries in harassment and discrimination cases.
$23.5 million
150 women · Sexual harassment (multi-plaintiff)
$1 million
a group of women · Sexual harassment (multi-plaintiff)
$15 million
1 plaintiff · Gender pay & promotion discrimination, jury verdict (punitive damages under federal + Oregon law)
Jury verdict, subject to post-trial proceedings. Not a settlement or a collected recovery.
$1.3 million
19 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal.
- 01
Talk with us
A short initial conversation about what happened and when.
- 02
We assess the record
We identify possible claims, deadlines and evidence that may matter.
- 03
If we take the case
We handle the filing strategy, negotiations and litigation.
Deadlines can depend on where and how you file
California and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, to file an employment-discrimination or harassment complaint with California's Civil Rights Department.
CRD, Employment ↗Often, to file an EEOC charge when the claim is also covered by state or local anti-discrimination law.
EEOC, How to File a Charge ↗Generally, to file a lawsuit after receiving a California CRD right-to-sue notice.
CRD, Obtain a Right to Sue ↗Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq.
Primary source, Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq. ↗Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Deadlines and filing issues for workers in Los Angeles.
- 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 you file a sexual harassment claim in Los Angeles?
California Civil Rights Department
Los Angeles Office320 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.center@calcivilrights.ca.gov, or mail to HQ. CRD HQ/mailing is 651 Bannon Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95811.
File online →EEOC Los Angeles District Office
Roybal Federal Building, 255 East Temple St., 4th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 785-3090 EEOC Public Portal →
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Stanley Mosk Courthouse111 North Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
The filing path, step by step
- 1Document everything, dates, witnesses, messages. California gives you more time than most states, but evidence fades fast.
- 2File 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.
- 3Or file with the EEOC within 300 days at the Roybal Federal Building (255 E Temple St), charges dual-file between CRD and EEOC.
- 4Request a right-to-sue notice from CRD when ready to litigate, then you have 1 year to file suit.
- 5State claims go to LA County Superior Court (Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N Hill St); federal Title VII claims to the Central District of California.
Sexual-harassment information in other California cities
- FresnoWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- Long BeachWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- Orange CountyWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- RiversideWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- SacramentoWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- San BernardinoWorkplace sexual-harassment information
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 private, 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.