California Employment Lawyer Blog

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will be dishing out $900,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit filed against a Los Angeles police officer. A deputy is accusing his supervisor of sexual harassment and threats of violence, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Our Orange County sexual harassment lawyers recommend that you report any and all forms of sexual harassment to your supervisor. It is also in your best interest to contact an experienced lawyer to help ensure that the proper steps are being taken to protect your rights in the workplace. On the other hand, it is equally important to contact an experienced attorney if you're facing any false allegations of harassment in the workplace as convictions of such behavior can drastically affect your career.

While the county agreed to pay out a sum of $900,000, the sheriff's supervisor is still denying the allegations -- flatly denying workplace sexual harassment in Los Angeles.

"Sexual harassment is about using power in a way to hurt somebody," says Marcia McCormick, associate professor at Saint Louis University School of Law, who specializes in employment law and gender issues.

There are a number of ways that sexual harassment can occur in the workplace. While the most common form of sexual harassment is male on female, the number of male on male sexual harassment cases is on the rise in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the United States. It's a form of sexual harassment that is increasing in numbers by the day. According to Newsweek, same-sex harassment cases have only been recognized by the court system for a little over 20 years now.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that in 2009 nearly 13,000 sexual harassment incidents came from males. That year recorded the largest number of male-reported sexual harassment incidents on record.

The deputy, at the sheriff's office, is stating that his supervisor asked that he "come into the bathroom for a rectal probe" and boasted he could get the deputy "so drunk" that the deputy would perform oral sex on him, according to the L.A. Times.

"While some people may think sexual harassment of male employees is a joke, the issue is real," says David Grinberg, spokesperson for the EEOC. "We are seeing more of it, and such conduct has serious legal consequences for employers." The EEOC reports that incidents including male on male sexual harassment claims are indeed on the rise.

Our criminal defense lawyers defend those facing sexual harassment in Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Ontario areas and have a strong reputation for achieving justice for our clients. If you are currently experiencing accusations of sexual harassment, it is critical for you to contact an attorney to protect your rights, your financial well-being, your dignity and your reputation.

Continue reading " Sheriff's Office Supervisor Faces Allegations of Sexual Harassment in Los Angeles " »

Two Los Angeles police officers were awarded $2 million after a jury determined the LAPD supervisors retaliated against the pair for complaining about meeting alleged traffic ticket quotas, according to the Los Angeles Times. The two previously rejected a $500,000 settlement.

The two veteran motorcycle officers of the department's West Traffic Division claimed they were punished with bogus performance reviews after failing to meet citation quotas. The two sued the department back in 2009 accusing the department of harassment and using threats of reassignment and wrongful termination after they objected to demands from commanding officers. The officers were allegedly instructed to write a certain number of tickets and violations each day, which breaks state laws.

Our Orange County Employment Lawyers
understand that while many types of employment positions are considered at-will -- meaning either the employee or employer can terminate a working relationship at any time -- employees are still protected against many forms of discrimination, including race, age and sex. In this case, the officers were ordered by their supervisors to issue a specific number of tickets per work day -- something that is strictly against state law.

The determining factors between pushing your officers to increase productivity and setting an actual quota are fuzzy for field supervisors as they're often under pressure to generate more citations. Still, employee positions cannot be threatened for not meeting department generated goals when those goals include illegal quotas.

Although the two claimed to be ranked against other officers based on the number of cars impounded and tickets issued, both violations of state law, the department denied in testimony that there had been any sort of instructed quota presented to the men. The defendants claim there must have been confusion over the difference of a "goal" and a "quota."

In the end, 11 of the 12 jurors sided with the officers, agreeing that the failure to meet these quotas affected their careers after the two reported the misconduct and harassment of their supervisors.

"You can't violate the law to enforce the law," City Councilman Dennis Zine, a former LAPD motorcycle sergeant, said. "You can't mandate the number of tickets."

Continue reading " LAPD Officers Awarded $2 Million for Los Angeles Employment Lawsuit " »

A San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station employee filed a lawsuit against the plant's owner, Southern California Edison, after alleging his termination was a direct result of his voiced concerns regarding plant safety. The employee, a former manager of business accounting and project services, filed a complaint with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission just weeks before he was let go from the station. He was on his second stint at the plant when the alleged wrongful termination occurred, according to the Dana Point Times.

Our Orange County employment lawyers understand the frustration that can evolve from working in an unsafe environment. We encourage employees who are punished with wrongful termination to fight for their lost wages and damages. The law protects employees from retaliation and from unsafe working conditions.

The plant employee, after receiving notice of complaints from insiders about alleged plant safety violations, reportedly sent a letter to a San Onofre manager encouraging openness towards employees' safety concerns and tips. Shortly after, he came forward and confronted his boss about some of these safety concerns, reports the LA Weekly. He alleges that he was ordered to stay quiet.

According to the OC Times, the San Onofre plant has been repeatedly cited by federal regulators for continuously violating the plant's own standards for safety and workplace conditions. For example, in 2006 the plant reportedly leaked highly radioactive tritium into local groundwater and was also listed as the second most dangerous nuclear facility in the U.S.

Safety should be an employer's top priority and employees safety concerns should always be addressed. If a company or employer fails to do so, workers are encouraged to step up and report any violations.

If you need to file a complaint about a workplace's unsafe conditions, you can follow these instructions provided by the Occupational Safety & Heath Administration (OSHA).

Continue reading " California Plant Worker Sues after Wrongful Termination Following Complaints Unsafe Work Conditions " »