Los Angeles Discrimination Attorney

Los Angeles discrimination attorney Cyrus Shahriari wants you to know that California and federal laws say it is your right to not have to face discrimination when you are applying for a job or while working for an employer. If you are discriminated against by co-workers or supervisors, you have the right to bring a discrimination lawsuit.

If you believe you are being discriminated against in the workplace, contact a discrimination attorney at The Shahriari Law Firm for a free, no-obligation, confidential consultation. We are paid when the case is won. You pay nothing until then.

Victims of Workplace Discrimination

State and federal laws have determined that people who have certain characteristics often are victims of discrimination by employers so need specific legal protections. These are “protected categories,” and they are protected by law.

If you’ve been fired, not hired, not promoted, or mistreated because you belong to a category protected by the law, then you have a right to file a discrimination lawsuit.

In California it is also illegal to prohibit employees from using languages other than English unless there is a business reason for this limitation.

If a business reason is claimed, then employees must be notified of the circumstances in which their native language is restricted from use and the consequences for violating the restriction.

Discrimination Based On Race

You don’t have to turn a blind eye if you’ve been refused work, passed over for a promotion, or fired because of your race, color, or ethnicity.

Racial discrimination in the workplace has had a long and unfortunate history in this country. While huge strides in tolerance and openness have been achieved over time, bigotry and racism still exists.

State and federal laws gives an employee the right to employment free of discrimination. The Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it against the law for an employer to base employment decisions on:

Stereotypes (assumptions about abilities or traits of a particular race)
Ancestry
Birthplace or culture
Last names associated with a specific national origin
Linguistic characteristics

An employer also may not legally penalize an employee for their personal association with a particular race. For example, if a Caucasian woman is fired because she is married to an African-American, that is considered discrimination.

An employer is not permitted to ask an employee the origin of their name, where they came from, and whether or not they are of mixed race.

Age Discrimination

Older employees provide a wealth of experience and competency to a company. But some employers, guided by mistaken notions that older employers won’t be with the company over the long term and/or have more medical expenses, make the decision to illegally discriminate against employees on the basis of age.

Proving Age Discrimination

To be able to prove age discrimination, your discrimination lawyer at The Shahriari Law Firm will compare how the older employee has been treated in relation to younger employees.

If an employer is firing, suspending, or demoting the older employee while a comparable younger employee is being elevated at the company, there may be age discrimination at play.

Companies have grown skilled in blaming non-age related factors like downsizing, reorganization, or workforce reduction to skirt federal and state discrimination laws.

While a “golden handshake” (a special package offered to an employee for early retirement) is perfectly legal, an accusation of performance problems to force an older employee into retirement without a retirement package is against the law.

It is not illegal to replace people who make a higher wage with lower wage employees of less seniority. But if the motivating factor in these firings is age and not salaries, then the employer is breaking the law.

Gender Discrimination

There is no legal reason for a female employee to be kept from a job and fair salary because of her gender. Men are still often favored over women when competing for work. Women still make significantly less money for doing the same job as a man.

Title VII and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act provide protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of gender.

Religious Discrimination

The First Amendment gives you the right to practice any religion and to not have a religion imposed upon you. You should not be denied employment because of your faith or your non-faith.

Even private employers aren’t allowed to break federal and state laws that prevent religious discrimination in employment.

The Recovery of Damages:

When your discrimination lawyer at The Shahriari Law Firm resolves your discrimination lawsuit, you may be awarded:

Past, present, future wages
Past, present, future benefits
Past and future medical and/or psychiatric reimbursement
Emotional distress damages
Punitive damages
Attorney’s fees

Retaliation for reporting discrimination is illegal and could increase significantly the damages you are owed.

Contact a Discrimination Lawyer

If you believe you’ve been the victim of discrimination in any of the protected categories, contact a discrimination lawyer from The Shahriari Law Firm for a free, no-obligation, confidential consultation.

After talking with you, employment lawyer Nico Vrataric can tell you if you have a discrimination case and let you know your options. Then you can make an informed decision on what action you want to take.

At The Shahriari Law Firm, discrimination cases are taken on a contingency basis. This means you pay nothing until your case is resolved.

Discrimination