Los Angeles Workplace Discrimination Lawyer
| Feher Law
- Top Rated Trial Firm
- Over $170 Million Recovered For Clients
- No Fees Unless We Win
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From Tom Feher, Esq.
“We try Los Angeles workplace discrimination cases under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, and we have litigated them through the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown. Government Code 12940 protects employees from being treated differently because of a protected class, and it requires employers to run a good-faith interactive process. When a company skips that process or papers over a biased decision, we build the timeline, the comparators, and the documents that show what really happened.”
Thomas Feher, Esq. · Founding Attorney, Feher Law APC · 50+ jury trials to verdict · $170M+ recovered · Super Lawyers 2022-2026
Recent California Recovery
$14.6M jury verdict
Simone v. Estate of Bruce Jameson · California personal injury wrongful death verdict tried by Thomas Feher, Esq.
Founding Attorney, Feher Law APC
50+ jury trials to verdict · $170M+ recovered
Super Lawyers 2022-2026 · Best Law Firms 2025
Los Angeles has one of the most diverse workforces in the country, and discrimination still shows up in hiring, pay, promotion, scheduling, and firing. California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act protects workers from discrimination based on race, sex, age 40 and over, disability, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other protected characteristics.
A Los Angeles workplace discrimination lawyer at Feher Law builds the proof, protects you from retaliation, and pursues compensation. See our Los Angeles employment lawyer page for the broader picture. You pay nothing unless we win.
Key Takeaways
- FEHA, Government Code 12940, bars discrimination in hiring, firing, pay, promotion, and training because of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, age (40 and over), marital status, genetic information, or military status. It covers employers with five or more employees.
- FEHA has no cap on damages. Federal Title VII caps compensatory and punitive damages by employer size.
- You must generally file with the Civil Rights Department within three years before suing (Government Code 12960), and you then have one year after the right-to-sue notice to file in court.
- Employers must make reasonable accommodations for disability and take part in a good-faith interactive process. Failing to do so is its own violation.
- You pay nothing unless we win.
Why Choose Feher Law?
- Comparison evidence: discrimination is usually proven by showing how similar workers were treated. We know how to get the personnel and pay data that makes that comparison.
- Trial experience: Tom Feher has tried more than 50 cases to verdict, and we prepare discrimination cases for a jury from the start.
- Straight talk about the facts: we tell you what the evidence shows and what it still needs.
- Results: our wrongful termination results include a $750,000 disability discrimination matter. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Verdicts & Settlements
$170M+ Recovered for California Workers & Injury Victims
Real case outcomes from Feher Law across personal injury and employment matters, resolved under California law.
See what your case could be worth.
Free, confidential case assessment. Available 24/7.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is evaluated on its specific facts under California law. View full results on our Case Results page.
Why Acting Fast Protects Your Case
FEHA gives you three years to file with the Civil Rights Department, but discrimination cases depend on evidence that can disappear quickly. A shorter federal deadline, 300 days for an EEOC charge in California, can also apply if you want to use federal law.
- Pay records, job postings, and personnel files can be changed or lost
- Comparison coworkers may leave or be told not to talk
- Performance reviews often shift after you raise a concern
- A promotion or position you were passed over for may be filled and closed out
Free consultations. No fee unless we win.
What Our Clients Say
Why California Clients Choose Feher Law
Super Lawyers 2022-2026 | Avvo 10.0 Superb | Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College Graduate
Meet Our Team
Thomas Feher, Esq.
Founding Attorney
Stephen Wiard, Esq.
Senior Trial Attorney
Sandy Luu, Esq.
Associate Attorney
Alex Ballard, Esq.
Associate Attorney
Karen Parra, Esq.
Associate Attorney
Chase Nielsen, Esq.
Associate Attorney
Betsy Gomez
Managing Paralegal
Erica Feher
Chief of Operations
Austin Wallick, Esq.
Associate Attorney
Samantha Marquez
Legal Secretary
Marcela Guzman
Intake Specialist (Employment)
Alejandro Zelaya
Intake Specialist (Personal Injury)
Daniela Ramirez
Litigation Assistant
Marvin Rodriguez
Paralegal
Cassandra De Vera
Law Clerk
California Laws Against Workplace Discrimination
FEHA is the main source of protection, and it is broader than federal law. Beyond the protected categories, the law imposes specific duties on employers:
- Reasonable accommodation of a disability, and a timely, good-faith interactive process to find one.
- Pregnancy disability leave of up to four months, and family and medical leave of up to 12 workweeks under the California Family Rights Act, Government Code 12945.2, for eligible employees.
- Equal pay: employers cannot pay workers less for substantially similar work based on sex, race, or ethnicity under Labor Code 1197.5.
- No retaliation for complaining about discrimination or helping a coworker do so.
Discrimination can be direct, such as a stated reason, or circumstantial, such as timing, comparisons, and a shift in stated reasons.
Types of Workplace Discrimination in Los Angeles
Discrimination in Los Angeles workplaces appears in several forms, and the facts for each are different:
- Disparate treatment: you were treated worse than others because of a protected trait.
- Failure to accommodate: the employer ignored or denied a disability or religious accommodation or skipped the interactive process.
- Pregnancy and leave discrimination: a pregnancy or a protected leave was followed by a demotion, cut hours, or a firing.
- Age discrimination: workers 40 and over pushed out, passed over, or replaced by younger workers.
- Pay discrimination: unequal pay for similar work.
- Harassment: unwelcome conduct tied to a protected trait that creates a hostile workplace.
Feher Law investigates the type of discrimination first, because the proof and the damages are different for each.
Racial Discrimination in Los Angeles Workplaces
Racial discrimination is rarely announced. In Los Angeles workplaces it often looks like unequal discipline, assignments that block advancement, comments about accents or names, or exclusion from the networks that lead to promotion. Our retaliation and discrimination attorneys look at who got the opportunity, who was disciplined for similar conduct, and what the decision-makers wrote or said.
Race discrimination claims can be brought under FEHA and, for some employers, under federal law as well. If you were also harassed, or you were punished for complaining, those claims are added to the case.
Steps to File a Discrimination Complaint
- Write a timeline: dates, names, what was said, and who saw it.
- Save the record: your offer letter, pay stubs, reviews, emails, and messages, plus any job postings or policies.
- Report in writing to HR or a manager if it is safe, which creates a record and starts the employer’s duty to act.
- Speak with a lawyer before you file anything or sign a severance release.
- File with the Civil Rights Department through its online portal or through counsel and obtain a right-to-sue notice.
- File suit or resolve the case: a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, or mediation first.
Filing Deadlines for Discrimination Claims
Since 2020, FEHA has given workers three years to file a complaint with the Civil Rights Department, and that is the period in Government Code 12960. A lawsuit must then be filed within one year of the right-to-sue notice. For federal claims, an EEOC charge generally must be filed within 300 days in California. Because deadlines can run on different dates for different claims, we count from the earliest possible date.
Discrimination Complaints in Los Angeles Workplaces
Common situations include being passed over or fired after a pregnancy announcement, being treated differently because of race, national origin, or accent, being pushed out because of age, and being denied a reasonable accommodation for a disability. These cases arise in studios and offices, hospitals, hotels and restaurants, warehouses, and retail stores across Los Angeles County.
How We Build a Workplace Discrimination Case in Los Angeles
Discrimination is usually proven by comparison and pattern: how you were treated against similar coworkers, changes in how your work was judged after a protected event, statements by supervisors, and inconsistent explanations from the employer. We gather your reviews, pay records, messages, and witness accounts, and we file with the Civil Rights Department (CRD) when that is the right path. FEHA applies to employers with five or more employees.
What to Expect When You Work With Feher Law
- Confidential evaluation: you tell us what happened and we review the documents.
- Claim strategy: we decide which laws and which forum fit best, including whether an arbitration agreement applies.
- Evidence and filing: we gather comparison evidence and file the CRD complaint or suit.
- Negotiation: we pursue settlement from a position of preparation.
- Trial if necessary: we are ready to try the case.
Estimate Your Discrimination Case Value
Our discrimination lawsuit settlement calculator gives a first estimate based on pay, how long you were out of work, and the type of claim. A lawyer can refine it with the actual evidence.
The calculator is for general information only and is not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.
What a Discrimination Lawyer Costs
You pay no attorney’s fee unless we recover money for you. We handle employment discrimination cases on contingency under a written agreement, and under FEHA a prevailing employee can also recover attorney’s fees from the employer.
Claims That Often Accompany Discrimination
As Los Angeles employment lawyers, we handle the claims that often overlap with discrimination:
Why FEHA Beats Title VII for Los Angeles Workers
California FEHA provides broader workplace discrimination protections than federal Title VII:
| Factor | California FEHA | Federal Title VII |
|---|---|---|
| Damages cap | No cap | $50,000-$300,000 by employer size |
| Statute of limitations | 3 years to CRD | 180-300 days to EEOC |
| Employer size | 5+ employees | 15+ employees |
| Protected classes | 12+ classes including gender identity, marital status, medical condition | 5 classes (race, color, religion, sex, national origin) |
| Attorney fees | Recoverable | Recoverable |
| Average settlement | $50,000 to $1M+ | $30,000 to $300,000 |
This comparison is a general summary and not legal advice. How these rules apply depends on the facts of your case, and no outcome is guaranteed.
What Determines a Discrimination Case Value in Los Angeles
Los Angeles workplace discrimination settlements depend on protected class, evidence strength, and damages:
| Case Type | Typical Settlement | Severe / Punitive |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to Hire | $25,000 – $200,000 | $500,000 – $1,000,000+ |
| Disparate Treatment | $50,000 – $300,000 | $500,000 – $2,000,000 |
| Hostile Work Environment | $50,000 – $300,000 | $500,000 – $2,000,000 |
| Wrongful Termination | $100,000 – $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 – $5,000,000+ |
| Class Action / Pattern | $500,000 – $5,000,000 | $10,000,000 – $50,000,000+ |
The ranges in this table are general illustrations and not a prediction of what any case is worth. Every case depends on its own facts, the evidence, the law that applies, and the insurance available. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This is not legal advice.
We represent workers across Los Angeles County in these related matters:
- Racial discrimination: unequal treatment, harassment, or firing based on race, color, or national origin.
- Gender and pregnancy discrimination: pay, promotion, and leave cases.
- Age discrimination: workers 40 and over.
- Disability discrimination: failure to accommodate and failure to engage in the interactive process.
- Religious discrimination: scheduling, dress, and practice accommodations.
- Retaliation: punishment for complaining.
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Talk to a Los Angeles Discrimination Lawyer
If you think your employer treated you differently because of who you are, bring us what you have. We will review the facts, explain how the law applies, and tell you whether we can help. Use our discrimination lawsuit settlement calculator for a first estimate, or contact Feher Law or call (310) 340-1112 for a free, confidential consultation.
Last reviewed by Thomas Feher, Esq. – October 2026
Services We Offer
When it comes to your recovery and peace of mind, it’s vital to have an expert by your side that really understands the bigger picture of employment law. Explore the full range of services we offer below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What law protects me from workplace discrimination in Los Angeles?
How long do I have to file a discrimination claim in California?
Do I have to file with the Civil Rights Department before suing?
What is the interactive process and why does it matter?
What should I gather before a discrimination consultation?
Can I recover my attorney fees if I win?
Is there a cap on damages for discrimination in California?
What if I was fired after complaining about discrimination?
GET A FREE CONSULTATION
Our team is standing by and ready to assist you. Consultations are completely free and confidential. We will help you determine if you have a case.
- Over $170 Million Recovered For Clients
- No Fees Unless We Win
- We Fight for Maximum Compensation
- Get The Justice You Deserve
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Other Los Angeles Practice Areas
Feher Law also serves Los Angeles clients in these related practice areas:
- Los Angeles Wrongful Termination Lawyer
- Los Angeles Employment Lawyer
- Los Angeles Sexual Harassment Lawyer
- Los Angeles Retaliation Lawyer
- Los Angeles Employment Contract Attorney
- Los Angeles Brain Injury Lawyer
- Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
- Los Angeles Amputation Lawyer
- Los Angeles CRPS Lawyer
For a general overview of how we represent Los Angeles County clients across all practice areas, see our Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer page.