Were you sexually harassed at work in San Diego?
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
- Closing shift at the taproom, it's just me and the manager counting the till, and that's when the comments and 'accidental' contact start. The law calls it → hostile work environment, isolated closing-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.
Harassed at a San Diego workplace, a hotel, hospital, taproom, or defense contractor? California's FEHA protects you at any employer size, and state-law remedies are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule and 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department. Contractors and interns are covered too. Document what happened and get a free, private case review.
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 Diego.
- 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. That notice starts a hard clock many San Diego workers miss.
- Harassment is covered at ANY employer size (1+), but discrimination claims need 5+ employees. Different claims, different thresholds.
- Seasonal and tourism jobs end, but the clock runs from the harassment, not from the day your assignment or shift schedule stopped.
- For ongoing harassment, deadlines run from the most recent incident, but waiting shrinks your evidence and your leverage.
Local filing and enforcement information for San Diego 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.
- Restaurants, San Diego County EEOC v. Swami's Café / Honey's Bistro (S.D. Cal.): $650,000 consent decree (2025) over allegations that, beginning as early as 2019, nine San Diego-area locations allowed a class of young female employees, including teenagers, to be subjected to repeated, offensive sex-based remarks, advances, and unwelcome touching by male supervisors and coworkers, and retaliated against those who complained. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the EEOC, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for San Diego follow below.
Where do you file a sexual harassment claim in San Diego?
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 San Diego Local Office
San Diego County has its own EEOC office, but most workers file online via the EEOC Public Portal rather than in person.
550 West C Street, Suite 750San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 900-1616 EEOC Public Portal →
San Diego County Superior Court
Central Courthouse1100 Union Street
San Diego, CA 92101
The filing path, step by step
- 1Document everything, dates, shift records, texts, and witness names. San Diego's hospitality and seasonal workforces turn over fast, and evidence leaves with them.
- 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, or through the San Diego Local Office at 550 West C Street. Charges dual-file between CRD and EEOC.
- 4Request a right-to-sue notice from CRD when you're ready to litigate, then you have 1 year to file suit.
- 5State claims go to San Diego County Superior Court (Central Courthouse, 1100 Union St); federal Title VII claims to the Southern District of California.
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 Diego workers.
I clean rooms alone at a San Diego hotel and a supervisor keeps cornering me, what are my rights?
That's harassment your employer must address. Working alone in guest rooms is a recognized EEOC isolated-workspace risk, and FEHA reaches harassment by supervisors, coworkers, and even guests. Report it in writing, keep a copy, and know you have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department.
A customer harassed me at my Gaslamp restaurant or taproom, is my employer liable?
Potentially yes. FEHA makes employers liable for harassment by non-employees, customers, guests, vendors, where they knew or should have known and failed to take immediate, appropriate corrective action. Tipped work doesn't change that. Damages under FEHA are not federally capped.
My San Diego employer has fewer than 5 employees, am I still protected?
For harassment, yes. FEHA's harassment protections apply to employers with one or more employees, and extend to applicants, unpaid interns, volunteers, and contractors. The 5-employee threshold only applies to discrimination claims, small breweries, labs, and shops are all covered.
I work at an early-stage La Jolla biotech and worry reporting will cost me my equity, what are my options?
California gives you 3 years to file with the CRD, so you can act when you're ready. Retaliation, a sudden performance write-up, cut responsibilities, or termination after you complain, is independently illegal under FEHA. Consultations are private, and a lawyer can weigh your options before anything goes public.
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, so the same facts can yield far more here than under capped law.
Where do I file a workplace harassment lawsuit in San Diego?
After you get your CRD right-to-sue notice: the Central Courthouse at 1100 Union Street handles downtown civil cases. Before that, your CRD complaint is filed online or by phone, you don't need to travel to any office to start it.