Were you sexually harassed at work in San Bernardino?
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 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.
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 remedies not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule. Temp and contract workers are covered too. Document what happened and get a free consultation before evidence disappears.
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 San Bernardino.
- 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.
Local filing and enforcement information for San Bernardino 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.
- 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. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the EEOC, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for San Bernardino follow below.
Where do you file a sexual harassment claim in San Bernardino?
California Civil Rights Department
Riverside Office1325 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.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 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 EEOC Public Portal →
San Bernardino County Superior Court
San Bernardino Justice Center, Civil Division247 West Third Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0210
The filing path, step by step
- 1Document everything, shift logs, quota records, texts, witness names. Warehouse evidence disappears fast with turnover.
- 2File 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.
- 3Or file with the EEOC within 300 days, online via the Public Portal (the LA District Office covers San Bernardino County).
- 4If you're temp-placed: name BOTH the staffing agency and the worksite employer in your complaint.
- 5After your CRD right-to-sue notice: 1 year to file at the San Bernardino Justice Center, Civil Division (247 W Third St).
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
- RiversideWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- SacramentoWorkplace sexual-harassment information
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, remedies not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule) is the stronger path regardless.