Employment Discrimination Lawyer in Los Angeles

Fighting Workplace Discrimination: Protect Your Career

Discrimination in the workplace is a distressing experience that can leave you feeling helpless and poorly compensated. Under California and federal law, it is illegal for an employer to treat employees with prejudice based on race, color, age, gender, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics.

At Mesriani Law Group, we provide the expert counsel needed to navigate these complex claims and fight for the maximum compensation you deserve for lost pay, benefits, and emotional distress.

Types of Workplace Discrimination We Handle

Unlawful treatment can take many forms. Our firm represents victims of:

• Disability: Prejudice based on physical or mental impairments or medical records.

• Age (40+): Bias against older employees in hiring, firing, or promotions.

• Gender & Sexual Orientation: Stereotyping or biased decisions based on gender identity or preference.

• Pregnancy: Unfair treatment of expecting or new mothers regarding leave and accommodations.

• Race & Origin: Preference based on skin color, ancestry, or national origin.

• Religion: Vile bigotry or refusal to accommodate religious clothing and observances.

• Marital Status: Discrimination based on being married, single, divorced, or widowed.

What Qualifies as Employment Discrimination?

Discrimination is often subtle and “hidden” behind corporate policy. Identifying these behaviors early allows you to take the necessary legal steps:

• Biased Hiring & Recruitment: Passing over a highly qualified individual for a less qualified applicant or intentionally excluding protected classes during recruitment.

• Withholding Advancement: Purposefully denying promotions, salary raises, or bonuses to employees in a protected class.

• Unfair Leave & ADA Denials: Providing unequal accommodations for medical leave or depriving disabled employees of “reasonable accommodations.”

• Hostile Standards: Imposing stricter or unattainable performance requirements only on specific employees.

• Constructive Discharge: Creating a hostile environment specifically to force an employee to resign.

It’s Not Just Your Boss: Workplace discrimination can be committed by leadership, coworkers, independent contractors, or even clients. If you are being treated unfairly by anyone in your professional environment, your employer has a legal responsibility to stop it.

Understanding Favoritism vs. Illegal Treatment

While “playing favorites” or hiring a friend isn’t always illegal, it becomes unlawful discrimination the moment an employer treats an employee differently because of their protected class status. If a less qualified person is promoted over a highly qualified individual in a protected class, you may have a potential claim.

The Laws That Protect You

• Title VII (Civil Rights Act): Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

• California FEHA: State law offering broader protections than federal law against discrimination and retaliation.

• Equal Pay Act: Mandates equal pay for men and women performing equal work.

• ADEA: Specifically protects workers aged 40 and older from ageism.

Proving Your Case: Direct vs. Indirect Evidence

Since employers rarely admit to bias, we help you build your case using two types of evidence:

1. Direct Evidence: Explicit statements by managers that show biased treatment.

2. Indirect Evidence: Circumstances that infer discrimination, such as when management uses “false motives” to justify firing or demoting an employee in a protected class.

How to File a Complaint in California

Victims must generally exhaust administrative remedies before filing a lawsuit. We guide you through the DFEH (for employers with under 15 employees) and the EEOC (for larger organizations). We can also help you secure an immediate “Right to Sue” notice to bypass lengthy investigations and move directly to litigation.

Do You Have a Case?

Ask yourself:

• Was a less qualified applicant hired or promoted over you?

• Did management become stricter after you reported illegal activity?

• Are bonuses and benefits consistently overlooked for people in your protected class?