Were you sexually harassed at work in Riverside?
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 crew boss controls who gets rehired next season, and makes it clear what he wants from the women to stay on the list. 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 were harassed at a Riverside workplace, a warehouse, hospital, farm, or campus job, California's FEHA protects you at any employer size, with 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department and no cap on damages. Temp and contract workers are covered too. Document what happened and talk to a lawyer early.
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 Riverside.
- Seasonal and temp jobs end, but the 3-year CRD clock runs from the harassment itself, not from the day your assignment or the harvest wraps.
- The federal EEOC window is only 300 days, far shorter than California's 3 years. If a federal claim matters to your case, the short clock controls.
- After your CRD right-to-sue notice, you get exactly 1 year to file suit, a hard deadline many workers miss.
- Harassment is covered at ANY employer size (1+), but discrimination claims need 5 or more employees, same case, two different thresholds.
- For ongoing harassment the clock runs from the most recent incident, but waiting erodes evidence and, in migrant crews, the witnesses.
Local filing and enforcement information for Riverside workers.
The sources below are public agency actions and filing information, not this firm's cases. They illustrate how claims have been handled and do not predict the outcome of another matter.
- Agriculture, Coachella Valley (Riverside County) EEOC v. Rivera Vineyards, Inc. (C.D. Cal.): $1.05 million settlement (2005) resolving allegations that supervisors at a Coachella Valley table-grape operation in Riverside County subjected predominantly Latina farmworkers to groping, leering, and sexual comments, and that women who complained were fired and shut out of higher-paying pruning and vine-tying crews. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the EEOC, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for Riverside follow below.
Where do you file a sexual harassment claim in Riverside?
California Civil Rights Department
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
There is no EEOC office in Riverside, Riverside County falls under the Los Angeles District Office. Nearly everyone files online through the EEOC Public Portal, so you never need to travel there.
Roybal Federal Building, 255 East Temple St., 4th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 785-3090 EEOC Public Portal →
Superior Court of California, County of Riverside
Riverside Historic Courthouse4050 Main Street
Riverside, CA 92501
The filing path, step by step
- 1Save your proof, schedules, texts, piece-rate or shift records, and the names of anyone who saw it. In seasonal and temp work, coworkers scatter fast.
- 2File with the California Civil Rights Department within 3 years, online through the CCRS portal or by phone (800-884-1684). Filing is centralized statewide; there's a CRD office at 1325 Spruce Street in Riverside, but you never have to appear in person.
- 3Or file with the EEOC within 300 days through the Public Portal, the Los Angeles District Office covers Riverside County.
- 4If a staffing agency placed you, name BOTH the agency and the worksite employer in your complaint.
- 5After your CRD right-to-sue notice: 1 year to file at the Riverside Historic Courthouse (4050 Main Street); federal Title VII claims go to the Central District of California, Eastern Division.
Sexual-harassment information in other California cities
- FresnoWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- Long BeachWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- Los AngelesWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- Orange CountyWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- SacramentoWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- San BernardinoWorkplace sexual-harassment information
Asked by Riverside workers.
I was harassed working in the fields on a Riverside County farm, does the law protect me if I'm undocumented?
Yes. FEHA protects farm workers regardless of immigration status, and harassment is covered at employers of any size. Seasonal, isolated field work is a recognized EEOC risk factor. You have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department, and retaliation, losing your spot on the crew after you complain, is separately illegal.
A temp agency placed me at an Inland Empire warehouse near Riverside, can I still sue for harassment, and who is liable?
Yes. California explicitly covers people 'providing services pursuant to a contract,' and both the staffing agency and the warehouse operator can be held responsible. Name both entities in your complaint. FEHA gives you 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department, with no cap on damages.
My employer has fewer than 5 employees, am I still protected in Riverside?
For harassment, yes. FEHA's harassment protections apply at one or more employees and reach applicants, unpaid interns, volunteers, and contractors. The 5-employee threshold only applies to discrimination claims, so a small grove, family shop, or trucking outfit is still covered.
I'm a student worker (or grad researcher) at UC Riverside and a supervisor keeps crossing the line, what are my options?
That's harassment your employer must address. FEHA reaches supervisors, coworkers, and third parties alike, and advisor-over-student power gaps don't put you outside its protection. Report it in writing, keep a copy, and know that a private consultation can map your options, including internal Title IX routes, without anything becoming public.
Where do I actually file a workplace harassment case in Riverside?
Your CRD complaint is filed online or by phone, filing is centralized statewide. Once you have a right-to-sue notice, a state lawsuit goes to the Riverside Historic Courthouse at 4050 Main Street. A CRD office exists at 1325 Spruce Street, but you don't need to go there to file.
Does it matter that there's no EEOC office in Riverside?
No. The Los Angeles District Office covers Riverside County, and almost everyone files online through the EEOC Public Portal anyway. For most Riverside workers, the state CRD route, with its 3-year window and remedies outside the federal Title VII cap schedule, is the stronger path regardless.