Workplace Harassment comes in all forms, each one of them equally serious. In evaluating your case, our lawyers at Lillian Sedaghat Law Group will look at the following instances.

• Verbal: Slurs, jokes, or other detrimental comments.
• Physical: Physical intimidation, pushing/hitting, and other unwanted physical contact.
• Sexual: Groping, unwanted and repeated requests for dates, asking for sexual favors, and other unsolicited sexual behaviors and acts.

If you feel your case has ground, and even if you are unsure, we offer free consultations to take a look at your situation.

The workplace can lead to uncomfortable and unpleasant situations, but the course to legal action is not immediate. For a workplace harassment lawsuit to be successful, you must prove the following items:

• A protected characteristic, such as gender, race, disability, etc., was the target of the harassment.
• The behavior and conduct was unwelcome and offensive, even to other people.
• Due to the severity of the behavior and conduct, the workplace became too uncomfortable, intimidating, or even hostile to work in.

If you think your case qualifies, Sedaghat Law Group is here for you. Reach out to us so we can evaluate your case for free.

Though uncomfortable and intimidating, actions and comments may not be severe enough to bring to court and be subject to legal repercussions. A person or group of persons must take steps to participate in the prevention of misconduct. 

You or a group of people must directly tell the harasser or group of harassers to stop. They must inform management and human resources (HR) of the transgressional conduct, along with any other channels in place that your business/organization/company has to prevent and remedy such measures.

In the state of California, harassment victims must first go through these channels before filing a lawsuit. There should be documented evidence of all these interactions to validate your lawsuit claim.

Furthermore, there should be documentation of the harassment as it occurs. Write down notes after all unlawful incidents of harassment, including conversations, unlawful written notes or drawings, and more. Document conversations with your employer and the internal documents for your case. Take photos or videos if necessary; it will only strengthen your case as you prepare to bring it forward. 

Additionally, this evidence will help you recover any compensation you require. 

California’s statute of limitations is 180 days from the first date of harassment to take legal action. In order to bring it to court, you must file an administrative charge with either the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for a federal claim or the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) for a state claim.

After that claim is received, your employer will be notified and an investigation will take place by a responding agency. The responding agency will either (1) dismiss the harassment claim, (2) request mediation between the parties, (3) file a lawsuit on your behalf, or (4) issue a right to sue letter.