Los Angeles Hostile Work Environment Lawyer
Los Angeles Hostile Work Environment ATTORNEY
Workers in Los Angeles expect to arrive at their workplace every day to an environment that is safe and supportive. However, this is not the case for many, as toxic and hostile work environments are pervasive in LA and the surrounding areas. If you believe that you are facing a hostile work environment, it is critical to get in touch with a Los Angeles hostile work environment lawyer who can support you with getting compensation for such unacceptable workplace conditions.
The dedicated team at Diefer Law Group, P.C., is committed to improving the workplace for employees in the Los Angeles area and has been fighting for workers like you for years to make things right. We can work closely with you by listening to and understanding the details of your story, collecting evidence that shows the hostility of your workplace, and pursuing a strategy together to recover compensation for any damages that you may have suffered as a result of your hostile working conditions in Los Angeles.
What Is a Hostile Work Environment?
It can be difficult to identify a hostile work environment if you are currently experiencing one. You and your employers may have normalized the situation, or there may be dynamics at work that are pressuring you not to take action. However, by clearly understanding what a hostile workplace is, you may start to see the signs of one in your own workplace.
A hostile work environment, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), is an abusive, intimidating, or unsafe workplace that negatively impacts the ability of a worker to do their job adequately, due to fear that they will be harassed or discriminated against. Hostile work environments can lead to serious mental or even physical health consequences for the worker or workers who are suffering as a result of the conditions.
How Can I Spot the Signs of a Hostile Los Angeles Work Environment?
If you are suspecting that you are facing a hostile work environment, there are a few criteria you can look for to determine whether your workplace could be considered hostile under the law. If there is repeated discrimination or harassment taking place on the grounds of protected characteristics, such as religion, sex, sexual orientation, cultural group, disability, race, or other, then you may be dealing with a hostile work environment.
If the patterns of abuse, harassment, or discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics are negatively impacting your emotional or physical well-being, then you may have grounds for a hostile work environment case. Furthermore, if the hostile work environment situation is keeping you from adequately carrying out your job duties, then you should contact a hostile work environment attorney, who can help you file a claim.
Examples of hostile work environments include workplaces in which instances of sexual harassment, electronic harassment, derogatory slurs or comments, wrongful termination, or workplace retaliation occur. If you believe that you are facing a hostile work environment, a dedicated and knowledgeable Los Angeles hostile work environment lawyer from Diefer Law Group, P.C., can help you determine whether you have a case and help you take steps to pursue compensation.
What Is a Protected Characteristic in California?
In order for there to be a case for a hostile work environment in California, the negative behavior has to be carried out as a result of the individual’s protected characteristic. In California, there are many protected characteristics, including ancestry, national origin, race, religion, color, physical disability, and mental disability. Other protected characteristics include marital status, medical condition, genetic information, gender, gender identity, and gender expression.
For instance, if a coworker consistently makes inappropriate remarks about an employee’s gender expression, and the employer makes no attempt to stop them, this could constitute the grounds for a hostile work environment claim. In addition, if a supervisor makes repeated unwanted sexual advances toward an employee based on their gender, this could also qualify as creating a hostile work environment.
Should I Sue My Employer or a Coworker?
In hostile work environment cases in Los Angeles, there may be one or more parties liable in a subsequent claim. If your coworker or employer is repeatedly discriminating against you, harassing, bullying, or assaulting you based on a protected characteristic, then they can be held immediately liable for their behavior.
To hold management or your employer liable for a hostile work environment perpetuated by your coworker, they will need to have been aware of the hostility and still have chosen not to take quick and effective action against it. However, employers are held strictly liable for harassment committed by supervisors.
Therefore, it is critical to document your hostile work environment and the steps taken to try to correct the behavior properly. You will need to show that you reported the instances of the hostile work environment to your employer and that they did not adequately take action to stop it.
In strong cases with enough evidence, you can sue your coworker for their toxic actions, as well as your employer for failing to take adequate action to stop the situation. If you are unsure about who could be held liable in your case, a dedicated lawyer from our firm can review your case details and work to understand who the defendants in your claim might be.
What Steps Can I Take to Protect Myself in an LA Hostile Work Environment?
If you are facing a hostile work environment, you are likely feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what steps you can take to protect yourself. First and foremost, it’s critical to make sure that you are not in a situation of immediate danger. For example, if there is physical or sexual abuse taking place or if a coworker is stalking or threatening you, it’s important to contact law enforcement and notify them of the emergency.
Collect evidence of each occurrence of workplace discrimination or harassment, including emails, photos, and voice recordings, and get the information of witnesses involved. Keep a logbook of each instance, including the date, place, time, parties involved, and what occurred.
Report the toxic conditions to management and document the reporting process. An experienced lawyer can help you protect yourself and your employee rights and work with you to build up a strong case so that you can hold those liable accountable for their actions.
FAQs
Q: Can You File a Lawsuit for a Toxic Work Environment?
A: If you are facing discrimination, harassment, or other negative or toxic conditions in your workplace, then you can file a lawsuit for a toxic work environment. You will need to show proof of the harassment or discrimination that took place, along with documentation of the negative impact it had on your mental and physical health, as well as your career success. An experienced lawyer can help you gather evidence and submit a claim to get compensation for your damages.
Q: How Do You Prove a Hostile Work Environment in CA?
A: Proving a hostile work environment in California requires both direct and indirect documentation, ranging from photos and videos to logbooks of instances and firsthand witness testimony.
Each toxic work environment looks different, and the possibilities include instances of intimidation, verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, bullying, discrimination, retaliation, and more. Therefore, working with an experienced employment lawyer can help you strategize how you will prove your claim based on your particular case details.
Q: How Do I Sue My Employer for Emotional Distress in California?
A: In the state of California, you can sue your employer for emotional distress after suffering emotional harm due to their neglect or recklessness. They have a responsibility to provide you with a safe and supportive workplace. Therefore, if you were abused in the workplace and they did not take swift and adequate action to address it, then they can be held liable for their conduct. An experienced lawyer can help you sue your employer for emotional distress and other damages.
Q: How Do You Build a Hostile Work Environment Case?
A: Building a hostile work environment case is complex, but it can be done based on your specific case details. Building up a case typically involves reporting the incident or instances of abuse or discrimination to human resources or management, logging all instances of hostile behavior, and gathering evidence. Evidence should show the instances of abuse, the negative impact that it had on your well-being and career, and, in some cases, how management failed to act.
Build Your Hostile Work Environment Case With a Los Angeles Hostile Work Environment Lawyer
If you have been afraid to go to work and are unable to do your job correctly due to hostile work conditions, you should not have to suffer alone. The compassionate and experienced legal team at Diefer Law Group, P.C., can help you fight back against the unjust conditions in your workplace.
From helping you collect evidence to navigating the complex LA legal system, we can help you get the compensation you are entitled to and hold individuals or organizations liable. Let’s work together toward just and secure workplaces in LA today. Contact a lawyer from our team to get started.
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