San DiegoSexual Harassment Attorney

California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)

FEHA prohibits sexual harassment by employers with even a single employee — there is no minimum employee threshold for harassment claims, unlike many other FEHA protections. FEHA also holds employers accountable for failing to prevent or promptly correct harassment, even when the harassment comes from a non-employee, such as a client or vendor.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VII is the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination and harassment, applying to employers with 15 or more employees. While Title VII provided the original national framework, California's FEHA now offers broader coverage and, in many respects, an easier path for employees to prove their claims.

California's Mandatory Harassment Training Requirements

California law requires many employers to provide sexual harassment prevention training to supervisors and employees. An employer's failure to train staff, ignore complaints, or maintain a functioning reporting process can itself become evidence of negligence in a lawsuit.

Who is Liable?

Determining liability in a sexual harassment case can be more complex than many employees expect. Depending on the facts, liability may fall on:

• The Employer: Employers are generally strictly liable for harassment committed by a supervisor, regardless of whether upper management knew about it. For harassment by coworkers or non-employees, an employer can be liable if it knew or should have known about the conduct and failed to take immediate, appropriate corrective action.
• The Individual Harasser: In some cases, the individual who committed the harassment may be personally named in a claim, in addition to the employer.
• Parent Companies or Staffing Agencies: In cases involving temporary staffing, contractors, or franchise relationships, more than one entity may share liability for the harassment.

An experienced attorney can help identify every liable party to maximize your potential recovery.

Compensation Available to Employees

Employees who prove a sexual harassment claim may be entitled to recover:

• Back Pay: Lost wages and benefits from the time of the harassment or related termination.
• Front Pay: Future lost income if returning to your former position is not a realistic option.
• Emotional Distress Damages: Compensation for anxiety, humiliation, and psychological harm caused by the harassment.
• Punitive Damages: Awarded in cases involving especially malicious, fraudulent, or oppressive conduct by the employer.
• Attorney's Fees and Costs: California law often allows successful employees to recover their legal fees, reducing the financial burden of pursuing justice.

How We Build Sexual Harassment Cases

Sexual harassment claims often come down to credibility and documentation. Our attorneys focus early on preserving evidence — text messages, emails, witness statements, HR complaints, and any pattern of retaliation following a report. We also examine whether the employer had a functioning complaint process and whether it responded appropriately once the harassment was reported, since employer inaction is often just as important to a case as the harassment itself.

Because many harassment cases involve emotionally difficult subject matter, we work to make the legal process as clear and manageable as possible, so you can focus on your recovery while we build your case.