If you are reading this page, something has probably happened at work that you did not invite and should never have had to deal with. Maybe it was a comment you keep replaying, a touch that crossed a line, or a pattern that has slowly made your job feel unsafe. Whatever brought you here, please know two things: it was not your fault, and you have options.
Labor Law PC is a sexual harassment lawyer for Los Angeles employees. We represent workers only, never companies, and we have built our practice around California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), which gives harassment survivors stronger protections than federal law. From our Santa Monica office, we stand up for workers across LA, in industries where sexual harassment remains stubbornly common: entertainment and production, hospitality and restaurants, healthcare, retail, tech, and corporate offices alike.
Everything you tell us is confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege, whether or not you hire us. The consultation is free, there is no pressure to file anything, and you pay no fees unless we win. Call (877) 775-2267 when you are ready to talk.
Every situation below has its own detailed guide, the warning signs, the California law behind your claim, and what you may be able to recover.
Sexual harassment does not have to involve touching, and it does not have to come from someone of a different sex. California law recognizes two forms:
Unwelcome sexual or gender-based conduct that is severe or pervasive enough to make your workplace intimidating, offensive, or abusive. Examples include:
A supervisor or someone with power over your job conditions hiring, promotion, raises, schedules, roles, or continued employment on sexual conduct, whether the demand is spoken outright or just made unmistakably clear. This is its own legal claim with its own rules, and we cover it in depth on our quid pro quo harassment page.
Many people who call us open with some version of "I don't know if this is bad enough." That instinct to minimize is normal, and it is exactly what harassers count on. Not every awkward comment is illegal, and we will tell you honestly if the law does not reach your situation. But California's standard is broader than most workers assume, a single severe incident can be enough, and patterns that felt like "just the culture here" often turn out to be textbook hostile environment evidence once they are written down in one place.
A few more points survivors often need to hear:
California responded to the #MeToo movement, which began in this city's own entertainment industry, with a wave of laws that put real power in survivors' hands.
SB 1300 lowered the bar for proving harassment. Under Government Code section 12923, a single severe incident can be enough to create a hostile work environment, you do not need to show your work performance declined, and courts are directed to let juries, not early motions, decide these cases.
The Silenced No More Act protects your voice. California's Silenced No More Act (SB 331, building on the earlier STAND Act, SB 820) sharply restricts secrecy: employers generally cannot use severance agreements or settlements to gag you from speaking about unlawful harassment, and settlements can no longer conceal the underlying facts of sexual harassment claims the way they once did.
Forced arbitration no longer traps sexual harassment claims. Under the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, you can generally choose court over private arbitration for sexual harassment disputes, even if you signed an arbitration agreement when hired.
Every employer is covered, and harassers are personally liable. The FEHA's harassment ban applies to employers of any size, protects employees, applicants, contractors, interns, and volunteers, and allows you to sue the individual harasser personally as well as the company.
Employers are strictly liable for supervisors. If the harasser supervises you, your employer is automatically responsible under California law. No "we didn't know" defense.
Training is mandatory. California requires employers with five or more employees to provide sexual harassment prevention training. An employer that skipped it will have a hard time claiming it took harassment seriously.
You generally have three years to file. California law generally gives you three years from the most recent incident to file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD, formerly DFEH), the gateway to a FEHA lawsuit, and typically one year to sue after receiving a right-to-sue notice. Some deadlines are shorter, especially for public employees or federal claims, so deadlines vary: talk to a lawyer before assuming you have time or that you are too late.
We know that picking up the phone is often the hardest step, so here is exactly what to expect:
Throughout, we watch for retaliation. If your employer punishes you for coming forward, that becomes an additional claim, and we act on it immediately.
No lawyer can promise an outcome, but California courts have awarded sexual harassment survivors:
You should not have to weigh justice against rent. Our consultations are free and privileged. We take sexual harassment cases on contingency: no retainer, no hourly billing, and no fee at all unless we recover compensation for you.
Yes, in many cases. If the harasser was a supervisor, your employer is strictly liable whether or not you reported. If it was a coworker or customer, notice to the employer matters more, but there are many ways an employer "should have known." Do not disqualify yourself; let us evaluate the facts.
No. People laugh along, stay friendly, or even date a coworker and then withdraw consent. The legal question is whether the conduct was unwelcome when it occurred. Harassment that continues after you pull away, or punishment for ending a relationship, can absolutely be actionable.
Not at the consultation stage: everything you tell us is privileged. If a lawsuit is filed it is generally a public record, but many cases resolve before filing, and we discuss privacy strategy, including what California law allows, before any step that could identify you.
That fear is real, especially in tight-knit industries like entertainment. Retaliation for reporting sexual harassment is independently illegal under the FEHA, and it often multiplies an employer's exposure. We plan every case around protecting you first. If you have already been fired for speaking up, you may also have a wrongful termination claim.
Probably not. California generally allows three years from the last incident to file with the CRD, and ongoing patterns can extend what counts. But evidence fades and deadlines vary by claim, so call sooner rather than later.
Have it reviewed before assuming it binds you. California's Silenced No More laws limit NDAs that cover harassment, and federal law now lets most sexual harassment claimants opt out of forced arbitration. These documents are often less ironclad than employers imply.
Yes. California law protects workers of every gender and sexual orientation, and same-sex harassment is fully actionable. Sexual desire is not required; hostility based on gender is enough.
From our Santa Monica headquarters, Labor Law PC represents sexual harassment survivors throughout Los Angeles County, including Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, Torrance, and Long Beach, and workers across California.
You do not have to decide anything today. You just have to say what happened, once, to people whose job is to protect you. Call (877) 775-2267 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation. Hablamos Español. No fees until we win.
Every case gets a team that listens, keeps you informed, and fights like it matters. Because to you, it does.
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