Were you sexually harassed at work in San Antonio?
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 banquet manager says guests 'expect friendly.' What the guests do isn't friendly. The law calls it → non-employee harassment the employer must address
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 Antonio workers file harassment claims with the TWC Civil Rights Division or the EEOC's San Antonio Field Office on Fredericksburg Road. General claims get 180 days, sexual harassment 300, and since 2021, Texas covers sexual harassment even at one-employee businesses. Civilian military contractors follow this track too; uniformed service members don't.
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 Texas
Craig Ackermann represents Texas employees in harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wage 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
Texas and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, to file a sexual-harassment complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division.
Texas Labor Code ch. 21 ↗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 TWC right-to-sue notice.
Texas Labor Code ch. 21 ↗Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
Texas Labor Code Chapter 21, "Employment Discrimination" (commonly known as the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act / TCHRA)
Tex. Lab. Code Ann. ch. 21
Primary source, Tex. Lab. Code Ann. ch. 21 ↗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 Antonio.
- The 180-day TWC clock on general claims is mandatory in Texas, miss it and the agency must dismiss.
- Civilian DoD employees at JBSA have just 45 DAYS to contact an agency EEO counselor, the shortest deadline on this page, and the most missed.
- Don't borrow the 300-day sexual-harassment window for other claims, they run out at 180.
- Court comes after the agency in Texas, never instead of it.
- From the right-to-sue notice you get 60 days to file suit, inside an overall two-year ceiling.
Local filing and enforcement information for San Antonio 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.
- Emergency medical services, San Antonio EEOC v. Lone Star Ambulance (W.D. Tex., San Antonio Division): $90,000 five-year consent decree (2022) over allegations that executives and supervisors subjected two female employees to verbal harassment, unwanted sexual touching, and forced submission to sex as a condition of employment. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the EEOC, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for San Antonio follow below.
Where do you file a sexual harassment claim in San Antonio?
Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division
Civil Rights Division (mailing)101 E 15th Street
Austin, TX 78778
(888) 452-4778 File online →
EEOC San Antonio Field Office
Legacy Oaks, Building A, 5410 Fredericksburg Road, Suite 200San Antonio, TX 78229
1-800-669-4000 EEOC Public Portal →
Bexar County Civil District Courts
Bexar County Courthouse100 Dolorosa
San Antonio, TX 78205
The filing path, step by step
- 1Document everything, dates, witnesses, screenshots, schedules. Texas deadlines are mandatory.
- 2Sexual harassment: file with the TWC Civil Rights Division via EDISS within 300 days, or with the EEOC San Antonio Field Office (5410 Fredericksburg Rd) within 300 days. Charges dual-file.
- 3Other harassment/discrimination: 180 days at the TWC.
- 4Civilian federal (DoD) employees at JBSA: a completely different track, contact your agency EEO counselor within 45 days.
- 5After a right-to-sue notice: 60 days for a state-law suit at the Bexar County Courthouse (100 Dolorosa); a federal Title VII suit has 90 days from the EEOC notice, in the Western District of Texas.
Sexual-harassment information in other Texas cities
- AustinWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- DallasWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- El PasoWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- Fort WorthWorkplace sexual-harassment information
- HoustonWorkplace sexual-harassment information
Asked by San Antonio workers.
I'm a civilian contractor at JBSA-Lackland being harassed, do Texas laws protect me?
If you work for a private contractor, yes, Texas Labor Code Chapter 21 and Title VII both apply, with the standard 180/300-day windows. If you're a civilian federal (DoD) employee, your track is different: you must contact your agency's EEO counselor within 45 days. Uniformed service members follow the military Equal Opportunity process.
I work at a small River Walk restaurant with 5 employees, can I file a sexual harassment complaint?
Yes. Since September 2021, Texas covers sexual harassment at employers with one or more employees, and you have 300 days to file with the TWC. This matters enormously in hospitality, where small operators are the norm.
Where do I file an EEOC charge in San Antonio?
The San Antonio Field Office at Legacy Oaks, Building A, 5410 Fredericksburg Road, Suite 200, or online via the EEOC Public Portal, which most people use. The office also covers Austin and most of South-Central Texas.
My hospital employer 'investigated' my harassment complaint and did nothing, what now?
Texas law requires 'immediate and appropriate corrective action' once an employer knows or should have known of sexual harassment, a standard Texas courts have treated as demanding. An investigation that changes nothing may itself be the unlawful practice. Document the timeline and talk to a lawyer.
Can I be fired for reporting my supervisor at a San Antonio call center?
Under Texas Labor Code §21.055, punishing someone for reporting is its own violation, you don't have to win the underlying harassment claim, only to have raised it in good faith. On a base or in a plant, that punishment often looks like a sudden demotion, a shift change, or a write-up right after you spoke up.
What court would my harassment lawsuit be filed in?
State claims go to the Bexar County Civil District Courts at the Bexar County Courthouse, 100 Dolorosa. Federal Title VII claims go to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Which court, and which claims, is a strategy decision your lawyer makes with you.