San Francisco Race Discrimination Lawyer Serving the Bay Area
When San Francisco Bay area workers experience discrimination at work based on race, ethnicity or national origin, Bay Area race discrimination lawyers Rand L. Stephens and Richard Koss will advocate aggressively to protect their rights.
Overview of Racial Discrimination in California
What is Race Discrimination?
If you have been treated differently at work solely because of your race, there are legal remedies available to you. If other employees of different races are given preferential treatment in hiring, promotions, pay raises, work duties or hours, this disparate treatment may give you grounds to file a lawsuit. Even when race discrimination is unintentional and not malicious, the negative impact on minorities can still create grounds for a lawsuit. Employers subjected to such claims must be able to show a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for their work rules or treatment. Race discrimination can also include harassment such as racist remarks, hostile work environment, and cruel and unfair treatment.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin by public and private employers, training programs, employment agencies and labor organizations. The Act also bans employment discrimination based on religion, sex or gender. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 expanded the scope of the previous Act and gave plaintiffs access to additional damages and the right to a jury trial.
The Fair Employment and Housing Act of 1980
In addition to the protections provided by federal law, California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act of 1980 (FEHA) protects employees against discrimination based on race, national origin or ancestry. FEHA also bans workplace discrimination based on age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, religion, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, medical condition or marital status. If a FEHA case is litigated in an administrative hearing before the Fair Employment and Housing Commission (FEHC), employees may recover back pay and emotional distress damages. If any Title VII or FEHA case is litigated in civil court, an employee may win monetary damages, emotional distress and punitive damages, in addition to back pay and injunctive relief. They will also be awarded attorney fees in most cases.
Contact Our Attorneys in the San Francisco Bay Area for Help
Discrimination in the workplace based on race, national origin or ancestry is prohibited by federal and California law. If you have suffered from race discrimination at work, Bay Area discrimination lawyers Rand L. Stephens and Richard Koss will fight for your rights. Take action today and call or email us for a consultation.
