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It can be difficult to know what to do if your work environment has become uncomfortable or hostile. Harassment in the workplace takes many forms, such as unwelcome comments, unwanted touching, exclusion, or intimidation, and it can cause lasting damage. A San Francisco workplace harassment lawyer could help you understand the situation and protect your rights under state law.
Legal guidance and help can make a complicated process easier to manage. At Altair Law, our empathetic employment attorneys can review what happened, explain your options, and communicate with your employer on your behalf. If you’ve been terminated after experiencing harassment, the employment attorneys at Altair can talk with you about options for pursuing justice to remedy the harm caused by your employer. Independent and experienced legal counsel often brings clarity and peace of mind at a time of uncertainty. Contact us today to schedule your consultation, as early advice can help you stay within any legal deadlines and make informed decisions about how to proceed.
The legal definition of harassment in the workplace is very specific. The law protects employees from mistreatment and harassing conduct, but only if that mistreatment is targeted against them based on their membership in a protected class. While in California, the list of legally protected classes is long (covering race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, reproductive health decisionmaking, and veteran or military status), harassing conduct must be targeted against someone based on one of these traits, to be deemed unlawful. It also must be behavior that a “reasonable person” would find unacceptable. Courts assessing harassment look at the entire situation, including the nature of the conduct, how often it occurred, and whether it affected an employee’s ability to work. A single incident could be enough to give rise to a harassment claim if it is particularly serious, just as many less severe instances of misconduct could. Employers can also be responsible for harassment by coworkers, supervisors, or even outside vendors/clients if they knew or should have known about it. Beyond that, employers have a duty to prevent ongoing harassment or discrimination that they are aware of.
State law provides strong protections against workplace harassment through the Fair Employment and Housing Act, starting with California Government Code § 12900. This law makes it illegal for employers to allow or ignore harassment based on protected traits such as race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or age, along with many other traits and qualities. While sexual harassment is one unfortunately common form of workplace harassment, a claim can arise based on misconduct that is non-sexual, but that is directed towards an individual based on their membership in a protected class, and that is severe or pervasive enough to interfere with their ability to work.
San Francisco specifically also has local ordinances that expand employee protections and give residents access to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission for help resolving claims. These layers of enforcement reflect a commitment to creating safe and inclusive workplaces, within the broader protections offered by state and federal law.
Upon contacting Altair Law, the first step is to collect the required information from you, to evaluate whether you have a legal claim and have suffered recoverable harm. During the evaluation stage, attorneys on Altair’s Employment Litigation team will work with you to collect the right information to identify and evaluate your potential claim, which could include reviewing communications between you and your employer or other witnesses, your offer letter, employment agreement, and any severance paperwork you have been provided with.
Our evaluation process could also include identifying witnesses and documenting the timeline of events. A compassionate workplace harassment attorney from San Francisco will work with you to organize such information, provide information to you about your potential claims, and discuss with you the possible remedies available to compensate you for the harm you have suffered.
If you retain Altair to represent your interests against your employer, our attorneys will advocate on your behalf to seek remedies such as lost compensation (including monetary losses, for things like lost salary, bonuses, commissions, stock options, RSUs, carried interest, unpaid benefits, and more) and damages for emotional harm suffered as a result of the harassment. The right strategy depends on the facts and timing of each case. Although the process may seem daunting, our team can walk you through each stage and ensure your rights are being protected, and if you have legal claims, that you receive just compensation.
Confidential legal advice could help you regain a sense of control if your workplace has become hostile or intimidating, or if you have been terminated after experiencing harassment. A San Francisco workplace harassment lawyer could listen, outline your choices, and help you weigh which approach best aligns with your goals.
At Altair Law, our employment litigation team understands the sensitive nature of these matters. We could provide focused guidance and practical next steps tailored to your circumstances. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward protecting your career and peace of mind.
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