Not every unfair boss breaks the law. But treatment tied to your race, age, sex, disability, religion, or another protected trait is different. This can happen after one bad incident, or it can build up over months of unequal treatment. California takes it seriously either way. You need to know if what happened to you crosses the line into workplace discrimination. You also need to know what to do next, so you do not lose your chance to hold your employer accountable.
The lawyers at Kristy & Kananen have spent decades representing employees across the South Bay. As a Hawthorne workplace discrimination lawyer team, we help clients document what happened, understand what their cases may be worth, and build plans before their time to act runs out.
Reach out and walk us through what has been happening at work. We will tell you whether it looks like unlawful discrimination, and what your options are from there.
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Our Hawthorne workplace discrimination attorneys represent workers across Los Angeles County who have been mistreated, harassed, or retaliated against because of:
The mistreatment might show up as a hostile work environment, a promotion you were passed over for, unequal pay, or a firing dressed up as something else. Our Hawthorne workplace discrimination lawyers can help you figure out whether the law was broken, whether you work on a factory floor or in a corporate office, and what to do about it.
Workplace discrimination rarely stays contained to one bad meeting or one unfair write-up. It chips away at your income, your reputation with future employers, and your trust in the people you report to.
California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Cal. Gov. Code § 12940, makes it illegal for an employer to fire, demote, underpay, or harass you because of a protected trait. It also gives you the right to recover what that treatment cost you. That can include back pay for wages you lost, the value of a promotion you were denied, and compensation for the emotional toll the mistreatment took on you. In cases involving a wrongful termination, months of lost income while you search for a new job can add up fast. If your case goes to trial, a jury can also award punitive damages. These are meant to punish an employer who acted in an especially harmful way, with malice, cruelty toward the employee, or deliberate dishonesty.
These numbers add up differently for every worker, which is why an early conversation with an attorney matters. The longer you wait to document what happened, the harder those numbers may become to prove.
Hawthorne’s economy runs on a small number of very large employers, including SpaceX, whose Hawthorne campus alone accounts for more than 6,000 jobs. Other large employers include the City of Hawthorne, the Hawthorne School District, and the retailers along Hawthorne Boulevard.
Before you can sue, California law requires you to first bring your complaint to the Civil Rights Department, and Cal. Gov. Code § 12960 gives you three years from the last discriminatory act to do it. Day-to-day filings and self-help resources for Hawthorne residents are available at the Inglewood Courthouse, which sits about a 10-minute drive from most Hawthorne neighborhoods and also serves Inglewood, Lennox, and El Segundo.
Most unlimited civil lawsuits, including the majority of FEHA cases, are instead filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Knowing where your case belongs, administratively and in court, keeps a valid claim from being delayed over a technicality.
We handle workplace discrimination cases on contingency. That means you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you. We discuss our fee structure openly during your consultation, before you decide whether to move forward.
Employees who prove discrimination in California may recover back pay, lost benefits, and damages for emotional distress. Punitive damages are possible if a case goes to trial. What your claim is actually worth depends on your specific losses and how strong your documentation is.
You generally have three years from the last discriminatory act to file with the Civil Rights Department. After that, you have one year from your right to sue notice to file a lawsuit. Missing either deadline can end your case before it starts.
No. You can file a discrimination complaint while you are still employed.
Write down dates, times, what was said or done, and who was present. Save emails, texts, and performance reviews that back up your account. This record becomes the foundation of your case, whether it settles or goes further.
Yes. A written policy does not protect an employer that ignores its own rules or fails to act on a complaint. What matters is how you were actually treated, and whether your employer responded appropriately once you spoke up.
A hostile work environment exists when discriminatory conduct, such as slurs, threats, or repeated unwanted comments tied to a protected trait, is severe or pervasive enough to change your working conditions. Usually it takes more than one comment to cross the line. But under California law, even a single incident can be enough if it’s serious. For example, one unambiguous racial slur can create a hostile work environment.
The Civil Rights Department investigates your complaint and can try to resolve it through mediation. If that does not resolve the matter, you can request a right to sue notice so you can pursue your case in court instead. A workplace discrimination lawyer can help you decide which path fits your situation.
You do not have to sort through California employment law on your own to know something was wrong. Contact Kristy & Kananen and tell us what has been happening at your job. We will walk you through your options, so you can decide your next step.
Contact Kristy & Kananen to discuss your employment law, construction defect or insurance-bad-faith claim. There are no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
To meet with an experienced lawyer to discuss your employment law matter, construction
defect or insurance bad faith claim. There are no attorney’s fees unless we recover
compensation on your behalf.
Contact Us Today 866-981-1498
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