Were you sexually harassed at work in San Francisco?
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
- My founder says 'we're too small for HR' and tells me to 'stop making it awkward' when I object to his comments. The law calls it → hostile-work-environment harassment, covered at any employer size in California
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 Francisco job? California's FEHA protects you at any employer size, even a one-person startup, with a 3-year window to file with the Civil Rights Department and no cap on damages. Our attorneys have won millions for California workers. 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 San Francisco.
- California's 3-year CRD window is long, but the federal EEOC clock is still just 300 days. If Title VII claims matter to your case, that shorter deadline controls.
- Your CRD right-to-sue notice starts a hard 1-year countdown to file in court, a deadline that's easy to miss while you're still negotiating.
- Harassment is covered at ANY employer size (1+); discrimination claims need 5+ employees, a seed-stage startup can be liable for the first but not the second.
- Equity, vesting, and a signed severance don't pause your harassment rights, but a waiver signed without review can quietly end them.
- For gig and platform work, the deadline runs from the last incident, being classified as a contractor doesn't push it back or remove FEHA's protection.
Local filing and enforcement information for San Francisco 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.
- Technology / gig platform, San Francisco EEOC charge against Uber Technologies (headquartered in San Francisco): Uber established a $4.4 million class fund in 2019 after the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe the company permitted a culture of sexual harassment and retaliation against employees who complained, in violation of Title VII. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the EEOC, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for San Francisco follow below.
Where do you file a sexual harassment claim in San Francisco?
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 Francisco District Office
Phillip Burton Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 5th Floor West, Suite 2524San Francisco, CA 94102
(800) 669-4000 EEOC Public Portal →
Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
Civic Center Courthouse400 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
The filing path, step by step
- 1Save the proof early, texts, Slack messages, calendar invites, and the names of anyone who saw it. Startup and gig turnover erases records 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, so no office visit is required.
- 3Or file with the EEOC within 300 days at the San Francisco District Office (450 Golden Gate Avenue), charges dual-file between CRD and EEOC.
- 4Request a right-to-sue notice from the CRD when you're ready to litigate, then the clock is 1 year to file suit.
- 5State claims go to the Superior Court at the Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street; federal Title VII claims to the Northern 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 Francisco workers.
My startup has no HR, just a founder. Am I still protected in San Francisco?
Yes. FEHA covers harassment at employers with even one employee, and it extends to interns, volunteers, and contractors. You can file directly with the California Civil Rights Department without any internal report, though an email documenting your complaint to the founder strengthens the record.
I drive for a rideshare platform and a passenger harassed me, do I have any rights?
You may. California holds employers responsible for harassment by third parties like customers or passengers where they knew or should have known and failed to act. Report it to the platform in writing and keep proof, how a company chooses to classify you doesn't erase FEHA's protections.
I work at a Union Square hotel and a guest keeps harassing me while I clean rooms alone, is the hotel responsible?
Potentially yes. Housekeeping alone in guest rooms is a recognized EEOC isolated-work risk, and FEHA makes an employer liable for guest harassment it knew or should have known about and didn't stop. Written notice to management is what triggers that duty.
Reporting could cost me my job at a Financial District bank, what protects me?
Retaliation for reporting harassment, a demotion, a slashed bonus, a sudden 'performance' write-up, is independently illegal under FEHA. California gives you 3 years to file with the CRD, so you can act when you're ready, and consultations stay private.
How much is a California harassment case worth compared to other states?
California places NO cap on compensatory or punitive damages under FEHA, unlike federal law, which limits recovery to $300,000 even against the largest employers. FEHA also shifts attorney's fees to prevailing workers, so recoveries here can far exceed what the same facts would yield under capped federal law.
How long do I actually have to file in San Francisco?
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 at 300 days. The safe move is to talk to a lawyer early so each claim lands on the right clock.