Sexual Harassment Attorney in Los Angeles

California law imposed specific, verifiable obligations on your employer before any harassment ever occurred. The checklist below reflects those obligations under Gov. Code § 12950 and Gov. Code § 12950.1. A pattern of failures here is relevant evidence that the employer fostered a culture permitting harassment. One important nuance: posting compliance does not shield an employer from harassment liability, and failure to reach one individual employee does not by itself create liability. But these failures can be powerful corroborating evidence of the broader prevention failure your attorney will argue.

Employer Compliance Failures: What to Check and Document Before You Call

• No CRD poster displayed. Gov. Code § 12950 requires every employer to post the Civil Rights Department’s workplace discrimination and sexual harassment poster in a prominent, accessible location. Check whether it is actually visible in your break room, HR office, or shared common area. Photograph or note its absence.
• No information sheet ever distributed. The same statute requires employers to distribute the CRD’s sexual harassment information sheet (or an equivalent) to every employee. If you never received one at hire or afterward, document that fact in writing now, while your memory is fresh.
• No harassment prevention training provided. Any employer with five or more employees must provide at least one hour of interactive training to non-supervisory employees and at least two hours to supervisory employees, once every two years. If you have worked there for more than two years and received no training, that is a documented compliance failure.
• New supervisor never trained. A newly promoted or hired supervisor must receive the two-hour supervisory training within six months of assuming the role. If your harassing supervisor was promoted recently and received no training, document when the promotion occurred and ask (or note) whether training records exist.
• Seasonal or temporary worker, no training within 30 days. If you were hired as a seasonal or temp employee and never received training within 30 calendar days of your start date or 100 hours worked (whichever came first), that is a separate statutory failure.
• Supervisor training lacked required topics. The law requires supervisory training to cover abusive conduct prevention and harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Generic “civility” training that omits these components does not satisfy § 12950.1.
• Internal complaint ignored or buried. If you reported harassment to HR or a manager and received no response, received a response that amounted to “work it out yourself,” or were told to stop bringing it up, document every communication: dates, who you spoke with, what was said, and how long it took to hear back (or whether you ever did).
• Retaliation after reporting. If your hours were cut, you were passed over for a promotion, your schedule changed, or your employment ended after you reported or objected to harassment, document the timeline precisely. Retaliation for opposing harassment is a separate violation under FEHA, and our workplace retaliation attorneys in Los Angeles handle these claims alongside harassment cases.
• Separation agreement requiring FEHA release. Since SB 1300 took effect January 1, 2019, employers are prohibited under Gov. Code § 12964.5 from conditioning a raise, bonus, or continued employment on your releasing a FEHA harassment claim. If you were handed such an agreement, preserve it and do not sign without speaking to an attorney.

The janitorial industry has a stricter standard

Assembly Bill 547 (the Janitor Survivor Empowerment Act) requires janitorial employers to provide in-person, instructor-led sexual violence and harassment prevention training at least once every two years. Online completion alone does not satisfy this requirement. The California Labor Commissioner’s Office resumed enforcing these in-person training requirements on January 1, 2024. If you work or worked in the janitorial sector in Los Angeles and your employer satisfied the training requirement with a click-through video module, that is a documented AB 547 violation worth raising with your attorney.