When the Workplace Treats You Differently, the Law Treats Them Accountable.
California's Fair Employment and Housing Act is one of the strongest employee-protection statutes in the country. We use every inch of it.
You may have a case if…
- ›You were passed over for promotions given to less qualified people outside your protected class.
- ›You were paid less than peers performing equivalent work.
- ›You were denied an accommodation for a disability, pregnancy, or religious practice.
- ›You were excluded from meetings, projects, or opportunities because of who you are.
- ›You were subjected to slurs, jokes, or stereotyped comments that management ignored.
Discrimination at work is rarely a single dramatic act. It is usually a pattern — opportunities denied, performance reviews that quietly shift, complaints that vanish into HR. California law recognizes this reality and provides meaningful remedies for both overt and subtle discrimination.
FEHA protects more characteristics, applies to more employers (5+ employees), and provides broader remedies than federal Title VII. When we represent an employee, we typically pursue the FEHA claim in California Superior Court — a plaintiff-friendly forum with no caps on emotional distress or punitive damages.
Protected Characteristics
Race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion (including dress and grooming practices), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, mental or physical disability, age (40+), and military/veteran status.
Disparate Treatment vs. Disparate Impact
Disparate treatment cases focus on intentional discrimination — proven by direct evidence, comparator analysis, or the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework. Disparate impact cases attack neutral policies that disproportionately harm a protected class. Both are actionable under FEHA.
Failure to Accommodate
Employers must engage in a good-faith interactive process and provide reasonable accommodations for known disabilities, pregnancy-related conditions, and religious practices. A unilateral denial — or a sham 'interactive process' — is itself an independent FEHA violation.
Hostile Work Environment
When discriminatory conduct is severe or pervasive enough to alter the conditions of employment, it constitutes a hostile work environment. A single severe incident can suffice; so can a pattern of smaller incidents.
What you can recover
- •Lost wages and benefits, past and future.
- •Emotional distress damages, often substantial in discrimination cases.
- •Punitive damages where the employer's conduct was malicious, oppressive, or in conscious disregard of rights.
- •Reinstatement or front pay.
- •Attorneys' fees, costs, and expert fees under FEHA.
The process
Step 01
Confidential Intake
We document your timeline, gather your employment file, performance reviews, and any written communications.
Step 02
Administrative Filing
We file with the California Civil Rights Department and obtain a right-to-sue notice — preserving your federal options as well.
Step 03
Litigation
We file in Superior Court, conduct depositions of decision-makers, and obtain HR files and comparator data through aggressive discovery.
Step 04
Resolution
Mediation, arbitration, or trial. We are prepared for all three and the defense knows it.
Why Okojie Law
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between FEHA and Title VII?+
FEHA (California) protects more characteristics, applies to smaller employers (5+ vs. 15+), allows uncapped emotional distress and punitive damages, and is heard in California Superior Court. Title VII (federal) is more limited but provides federal-court access. We typically pursue FEHA for these reasons but preserve federal claims when strategic.
How do I prove discrimination if no one made a slur to my face?+
Most modern discrimination cases are circumstantial: comparator evidence (you were treated worse than similarly situated peers outside your protected class), suspicious timing, shifting explanations, statistical disparities, and pattern-and-practice evidence. We build the case from documents, depositions, and inference.
Can my employer retaliate if I complain about discrimination?+
Retaliation is itself unlawful under FEHA, and retaliation claims often produce larger recoveries than the underlying discrimination claim. Document every complaint in writing.
What about wage discrimination — am I covered?+
Yes. California's Equal Pay Act prohibits paying employees of one sex, race, or ethnicity less for substantially similar work. It is one of the strongest equal-pay statutes in the country.
I'm undocumented — can I still bring a discrimination case?+
Yes. California law protects undocumented workers in employment claims. Your immigration status is generally inadmissible in your case.
How long do I have to act?+
Generally three years to file with CRD, then one year from the right-to-sue notice to file in court. Federal EEOC deadlines are shorter — 180 to 300 days. Call us immediately to preserve all options.
Tell us what happened.
Confidential. No obligation. We respond within one business day.