Los Angeles Employment Lawyer
California Fair Employment and Housing Act
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act is the main statute in California that prohibits employment discrimination and applies to employers, labor organizations, employment agencies, apprenticeship programs, and any person or entity who aids, abets, incites, compels, or coerces a discriminatory act. The act prohibits discrimination in employment based on race or color, national origin or ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex or sexual orientation, age, and pregnancy.
Like other anti-discrimination statutes, the FEHA prohibits relation against a person for opposing any practice that is forbidden by the Act or for filing a complaint. It also protects individuals who testify or assist in proceedings under the FEHA.
A number of states in the United States have anti-discrimination laws that differ from federal law. These laws are in addition to federal law and frequently offer more desirable avenues to victims of harassment and discrimination.
The FEHA offers protections that are similar and often more potent than those available under the federal act, Title VII. These protections include attorney fee awards and reimbursement of certain case-related expenses to prevailing plaintiffs. Well developed and written state law applies different and sometimes less stringent standards for meeting the criteria related to harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
The FEHA allows for the imposition of punitive damages when a corporate defendant's officers, directors, or managing agents engage in harassment, discrimination, or retaliation. In addition, punitive damages are an option when such people approve or consciously disregard prohibited conduct carried out by lower-level employees.
Contact a Los Angeles Employment Lawyer
If you have been a victim of discrimination or harassment in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, contact Los Angeles employment harassment lawyer Perry Smith at 1-800-356-2529.