Encino Workplace Discrimination Lawyer

Encino Workplace Discrimination Attorney

For the working families of Encino and the surrounding area, a workplace discrimination scenario can deeply impact an employee’s livelihood and well-being. It forces them into an apparent choice between their mental health and their income. Fortunately, an Encino workplace discrimination lawyer can help those who are facing this cruel treatment.

If you or a loved one is feeling trapped in a situation like this, please know that you don’t have to spend another miserable day on the job dealing with bullying or inappropriate comments. You have powerful legal options available for dealing with a toxic and abusive workplace, and an accomplished attorney can help you exercise those rights.

At Gruzen Moussly Law, we have dedicated our practice to protecting the working families of Encino when they’re ready to exercise their legal rights. We can help them defend themselves against workplace discrimination on the job or in the hiring process.

As seasoned attorneys with a history of success in employment and civil rights matters, we understand the nuances of federal and California state employment laws and civil rights statutes. We offer our clients steadfast support and powerful legal advice while we pursue legal remedies to hold employers accountable for failing to follow these important workplace rules.

What Employer Actions Are Considered Unlawful Discrimination?

The first step to seeking legal recourse for workplace discrimination in Encino, CA is to verify that your situation meets a legally actionable definition of workplace discrimination. The team at Gruzen Moussly Law has worked in this area successfully for years. We can offer a thorough analysis of your claim as well as a plan to maximize its chances for success by using a detail-oriented legal strategy.

The rules that define and govern illegal discrimination in the workplace (and other areas of public life) represent a complex web of interconnected state laws, federal regulations, and even, in some cases, individual company policies. This can make it hard to know whether you’re facing legally actionable discrimination without help from a qualified legal professional.

Discriminatory actions and behaviors in the workplace are unlawful if they relate to the following:

• Hiring of employees
• Firing of employees
• Terms and conditions of employee contracts
• Employee transfers
• Layoffs (and recalls)
• Promotions (and demotions)
• Compensation and benefits
• Employee classifications and assignments
• Job postings and recruitment activities
• Employee testing in various forms (skills testing, illicit substance testing, etc.)
• Training opportunities
• Retirement and disability plans

The above should not be thought of as an exhaustive list. If you are facing discrimination at work that does not neatly fit into any of the categories above, you may still have legal recourse available.

Contact Gruzen Moussly Law at your earliest convenience, and we can help you determine whether you have a viable case. When in doubt, it is advisable to contact an attorney about any workplace action that you believe is rooted in discrimination.

What Is Considered a Hostile Work Environment in Encino, CA?

Many discrimination cases and other employer violations in California center around the concept of the “hostile work environment.” This is a broad term typically referring to a pervasive workplace culture that fosters, encourages, or even rewards discriminatory and abusive practices.

Oftentimes, this hostility is a matter of perspective, meaning that it is only experienced through the lens of discrimination by employees of a particular race, gender, age, or other class. Thankfully for harassed and discriminated employees, most of those classes are legally protected in the workplace and other areas of public life (e.g., housing applications or access to public services).

In this sense, “hostile work environment” is often used as a euphemism or synonym for what is more accurately a discriminatory work environment. Examples include:

• Women in a workplace complain of a hostile work environment that male employees do not perceive.
• Black workers consider a workplace to be hostile, while their white coworkers consider it comfortable.

If these sample situations appear similar to your own, it is likely a good indicator of workplace discrimination occurring somewhere within the organization, whether on a systemic level or perpetrated by a single individual in a position of authority.

What Causes a Hostile Work Environment?

Most genuinely hostile work environments are a product of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and intimidation. These eventually become so pervasive and routine that it interferes with employees’ ability to perform their work up to reasonable standards. This can result from many different and distinct forms of hostility, including:

• Sexual Harassment: This includes unwanted advances, inappropriate comments, or other offensive behavior based on the gender of a coworker or employee. An example would be a male manager making crude jokes about the way his female assistant dresses.
• Racial Harassment and Discrimination: This involves discriminatory remarks, actions, or policies particular to someone’s race, such as making racist jokes or refusing to promote employees of a particular ethnicity.
• Age Discrimination: This involves biases based on an employee’s age. In a legal context, these cases usually tend to focus on ageism against senior citizens and older adults, such as hiring practices that overlook well-qualified older applicants.
• Disability Discrimination: Thanks in large part to the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, employees also have solid legal protections against workplace mistreatment based on a physical or mental disability.

The categories above represent a mere snapshot of legally actionable discrimination in California workplaces. No matter what form of discrimination or hostility you may be facing, it’s important to remember that your ability to prove wrongdoing will be the key factor. Key evidence in workplace discrimination cases can include everything from copies of emails, text messages and to eyewitness testimonies.

The legal discrimination team at Gruzen Moussly Law can help you gather the evidence to validate your claim and then use it to build an airtight legal case for pursuing the compensation you rightfully deserve.

If you have been the victim of workplace harassment or discrimination, you may be owed significant restitution for the wrongs you’ve suffered. Contact Gruzen Moussly Law at your earliest convenience to begin the process of holding your employer accountable for their discriminatory actions.

What Is Retaliation in the Workplace in Encino, CA?

Retaliation is another key concept in many workplace discrimination cases. Retaliation in the workplace refers to employers taking disciplinary, malicious, or vengeful actions against an employee for engaging in legally protected activities, such as complaining about workplace harassment or reporting concerns about illegal discrimination.

Beyond its obvious relevance to harassment cases, retaliation can also occur when employees report unsafe conditions, organize with coworkers to discuss unionization, or simply assert their basic rights under United States and California labor laws.

Common acts of retaliation include:

• Wrongful termination (i.e., being fired or indefinitely laid off)
• Demotion
• Undesirable assignments
• Reductions in pay and/or benefits
• Reduction in hours

The above list is merely a condensed reference and not an exhaustive resource. In practice, the term “workplace retaliation” can refer to just about any action that deters a worker from asserting their rights.

It’s essential for all working Americans to understand that retaliation is illegal under both federal and California state laws. If you’ve been fired or otherwise retaliated against for exercising your legally protected workplace rights, the highly qualified workplace discrimination attorneys at Gruzen Moussly Law can help you hold your employer or former boss accountable.

What Is the Statute of Limitations on Workplace Discrimination in California?

Under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), victims of discrimination in the workplace or housing market must file their discrimination claim within a legally mandated time period. This rule is called a “statute of limitations,” and most laws carry one. It prevents the court systems from being clogged up with old cases that would be difficult or impossible to litigate so far after the fact.

In California workplace discrimination claims pursuant to the FEHA, victims have up to 3 years from the date of the discriminatory action (or the date on which the discriminatory action was first discovered) to file their complaint. FEHA claims must be filed with the California Civil Rights System (CCRS) within this 3-year window, after which the CCRS will issue a “Right to Sue” notice for valid claims.

The issuance of this key document starts a new countdown, where the wronged individual will then have an additional 1-year window in which to file their formal legal claim against their employer (or ex-employer).

Note that cases falling outside of FEHA jurisdiction, such as federal claims or criminal claims against a particular individual at your workplace, may be applicable to different statutes of limitation. Your attorney can help you understand your obligations in these complicated and multifaceted legal processes, ensuring that you file all paperwork correctly and in accordance with the proper deadlines.

Take a Stand Against Workplace Discrimination With Gruzen Moussly Law

Workplace discrimination can have long-lasting repercussions on your career trajectory, mental health, financial stability, and your family’s overall quality of life. If you’ve been a victim of this insidious form of discrimination, gather all evidence available to you, document all incidents as comprehensively as possible, and then consult with the knowledgeable workplace discrimination attorneys at Gruzen Moussly Law at your earliest convenience.

You don’t have to spend another day stomaching illegal discrimination, retaliation and harassment at your workplace. Take action now by contacting Gruzen Moussly Law for a confidential, no-pressure consultation.