Sexual Harassment Attorney in Los Angeles & Beverly Hills, CA
Reviewed by Eliot J. Rushovich, Managing Partner, Rise Law Firm, PC. Last updated October 2026.
California law prohibits sexual harassment in every workplace, regardless of the employer’s size, and it protects employees, applicants, unpaid interns, volunteers, and contractors. If you were harassed at work in Los Angeles or anywhere in California, you may be able to recover lost wages, emotional distress damages, and in some cases punitive damages from your employer and from the person who harassed you.
Rise Law Firm, PC represents employees in sexual harassment cases from our office in Beverly Hills. We have represented clients ranging from chief executives to minimum-wage workers, and we are particularly well known for handling high-profile cases. We work on a contingency basis, which means there are no fees or costs unless we recover compensation for you.
What counts as sexual harassment at work in California?
California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) recognizes two forms of sexual harassment.
- Quid pro quo harassment occurs when a job benefit, such as a hire, raise, promotion, schedule, or continued employment, is conditioned on submitting to sexual advances, or when a person is threatened with a negative consequence for refusing them.
- Hostile work environment harassment occurs when unwelcome conduct because of sex is severe or pervasive enough to alter the conditions of employment.
The conduct can be physical, such as unwanted touching, hugging, or blocking someone’s path; verbal, such as sexual comments, jokes, propositions, or remarks about a person’s body or clothing; or visual and electronic, such as explicit images, texts, emails, or social media messages. It can happen at the office, at off-site work events, or through messages sent outside work hours.
California law is more protective than federal law in several respects that often decide these cases:
- A single incident can be enough. The Legislature has declared that one incident of harassing conduct can be sufficient to create a triable claim if it unreasonably interfered with the employee’s work or created a hostile environment (Gov. Code § 12923(b)).
- Comments are not dismissed as “stray remarks.” A discriminatory remark can be relevant evidence even if it was made by someone who was not the decision-maker or was not made in connection with a specific decision (Gov. Code § 12923(c)).
- The harasser need not be motivated by sexual desire. Harassment because of sex includes conduct based on gender, pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and it includes harassment by someone of the same sex (Gov. Code § 12940(j)(4)(C)).
- Harassment cases are rarely appropriate for summary judgment. Because whether a workplace was hostile is usually a question of fact, these claims are generally decided by a jury rather than dismissed early (Gov. Code § 12923(e)).
Who is responsible for sexual harassment?
FEHA’s harassment provisions apply to employers of every size, including employers with a single employee (Gov. Code § 12940(j)(4)(A)). Who is liable, and on what standard, depends on who did the harassing.
| Who harassed you | Who can be held liable |
|---|---|
| A supervisor or manager | The employer is strictly liable, whether or not it knew about the harassment. The supervisor can also be held personally liable. |
| A coworker | The employer is liable if it knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action. The coworker can be held personally liable. |
| A customer, client, vendor, or other non-employee | The employer is liable if it knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action. |
Employers also have an independent duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment (Gov. Code § 12940(k)), and employers with five or more employees must provide sexual harassment prevention training to supervisors and staff (Gov. Code § 12950.1). An employer that ignored complaints, failed to investigate, or kept a known harasser in place can face additional liability.
Can my employer retaliate against me for reporting harassment?
No. California law prohibits an employer from firing, demoting, disciplining, or otherwise punishing an employee because the employee complained about harassment, participated in an investigation, or supported a coworker’s complaint (Gov. Code § 12940(h)). The protection applies even if the employer’s investigation did not substantiate the complaint, as long as the complaint was made in good faith. Retaliation is often the strongest part of a harassment case, because it tends to follow the complaint closely in time. Our article on being fired for reporting harassment or discrimination explains how these claims are proven, and our Los Angeles retaliation page covers retaliation claims generally.
Do I have to go to arbitration if I signed an arbitration agreement?
Often, no. Under the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, an employee with a sexual harassment claim can choose to bring the case in court even if the employee signed an arbitration agreement or class action waiver before the dispute arose (9 U.S.C. §§ 401–402). Whether the law applies to a particular case depends on the claims and the timing, so it is worth having an attorney review the agreement before you respond to any demand for arbitration.
What should I do if I am being harassed at work?
- Write down what happened. Record the dates, what was said or done, who was present, and how you responded. Notes made at the time are often important evidence.
- Keep what you already have. Save your own texts, emails, and messages that show the harassment or your complaints. Do not take confidential company documents or other employees’ private information.
- Report it in writing if you can. A written complaint to human resources or a manager creates a record and triggers the employer’s duty to act. Your employer is strictly liable for a supervisor’s harassment even without a complaint, but a written report helps establish what the employer knew and when.
- Be careful with any agreement your employer asks you to sign. Severance and settlement agreements almost always include a release of claims, so understand what you are giving up before you sign.
- Pay attention to deadlines, which are listed below.
What are the deadlines for a sexual harassment claim?
| Claim | Deadline |
|---|---|
| FEHA harassment or retaliation | File a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department within 3 years of the harassment; then file suit within 1 year of the right-to-sue notice |
| Federal claims (Title VII, employers with 15 or more employees) | File a charge with the EEOC within 300 days (the deadline for California employees); then file suit within 90 days of the EEOC right-to-sue notice |
| Wrongful termination in violation of public policy | 2 years from the termination |
| Public employers | FEHA claims do not require a government claim, but other claims against a public entity generally require one within 6 months |
Where harassment continued over time, earlier conduct may still be part of the claim if it was part of the same pattern, but these rules are technical. It is best not to wait.
What compensation is available in a sexual harassment case?
Depending on the facts, recoverable damages can include:
- Lost wages and benefits, past and future, if the harassment led to a termination, demotion, or resignation
- Emotional distress damages
- Punitive damages where the employer acted with malice, oppression, or fraud (public entities are not liable for punitive damages)
- Attorney’s fees and costs, which FEHA allows a prevailing employee to recover from the employer
Why work with Rise Law Firm, PC?
We exclusively represent employees, and we have represented clients ranging from chief executives to minimum-wage workers. We have secured millions of dollars for our clients, including recoveries against major companies, government entities, and celebrities, and we are particularly well known for handling high-profile cases. We understand that harassment cases are personal, and we handle them with discretion. We work on a contingency basis, so there are no fees or costs unless we recover compensation for you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sue the person who harassed me, not just my employer?
Yes. Under FEHA, an employee who harasses a coworker can be held personally liable, whether or not the employer knew about the harassment.
Do I have to quit my job to bring a claim?
No. You can bring a harassment claim while you are still employed, and your employer is prohibited from retaliating against you for doing so. If conditions become so intolerable that a reasonable person would feel forced to resign, the resignation may be treated as a termination.
What if the harassment happened outside the office or by text message?
Harassment can occur at off-site events, on business travel, or through texts, emails, and social media. What matters is whether the conduct was connected to the employment relationship.
Can a settlement keep me from talking about what happened?
California law generally prohibits settlement agreements in sexual harassment cases filed in court or with an agency from preventing disclosure of the underlying facts (Code Civ. Proc. § 1001). At the employee’s request, the employee’s identity and the settlement amount can be kept confidential.
Contact our Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyers
If you were sexually harassed at work, contact us to request a free, confidential consultation, or call (310) 728-6588. We represent employees who live or work in Los Angeles County and throughout California from our office at 8383 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 800, Beverly Hills. You can also learn about our Long Beach sexual harassment and Los Angeles wrongful termination practices.
This page provides general information about California and federal law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.