August 28, 2019 marks the 56th year from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a defining moment of the civil rights movement. The march prompted the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark civil rights and labor law in the U.S. that…
Just over 40 years ago, Congress passed The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), the first federal law to protect pregnant workers. The PDA is an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and makes it illegal for companies to discriminate against people “on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions.” The…
Sue without worrying paying for defendant’s attorneys’ fees if you have a non-frivolous FEHA claim What is a § 998 offer? California Code of Civil Procedure § 998 is designed to promote settlement of legal disputes including arising under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Section 998 provides that if during the course…
California’s whistleblower statute, Section 1102.5 of the California Labor Code, is designed to protect whistleblowers from retaliation in the workplace. Section 1102.5 prohibits retaliation against any employee for disclosing information, or because the employer believes that the employee disclosed or may disclose information, to a government or law enforcement agency, or to a manager in…
On July 3, 2019, California became the first state to prohibit hairstyle discrimination in workplaces and schools. The law, known as the “CROWN Act,” expands California’s anti-discrimination statute—the Fair Employment and Housing Act—to explicitly protect African American hairstyles and textures. Under the CROWN Act, hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists, are considered characteristics of…