Racial Discrimination Lawyer in Glendale & Los Angeles

If you were treated unfairly at work because of race or color—in hiring, pay, promotions, discipline, termination, or day-to-day conditions—California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) may protect you. Every situation is different. MAGISA LAW represents employees in Glendale and Los Angeles County who want to understand their options.

Call 888-818-1099 for a free consultation* to talk through your situation with an attorney · Contact form · Office at 2550 Honolulu Ave, Suite 105, Glendale, CA 91020

• Free consultation
• Glendale office serving Los Angeles County employees

Race and color as protected characteristics

CRD’s employment page lists race and color among the characteristics protected from illegal employment discrimination under FEHA. Discrimination rules generally apply to employers with five or more employees; harassment based on a protected characteristic is prohibited in all workplaces. FEHA applies to California workers regardless of citizenship or immigration status, according to CRD.

Ancestry and national origin are listed separately and often overlap in real workplaces. If your concern is language, accent, immigration-status threats, or country-of-origin stereotypes, also see our national origin discrimination page.

What discrimination can look like under CRD’s framework

CRD explains that FEHA bars discrimination across business practices, including:

• Advertisements
• Applications, screening, and interviews
• Hiring, transferring, promoting, terminating, or separating employees
• Working conditions, including compensation
• Participation in a training or apprenticeship program, employee organization, or union

Depending on the facts, employees sometimes describe unequal pay or assignments, being steered away from client-facing roles, discipline that appears harsher than for similarly situated coworkers, or termination after a complaint. Whether race or color was a motivating factor is an evidence question for consultation—not a website checklist.

Harassment and hostile environment

Racial slurs, “jokes,” stereotypes, imagery, or other unwelcome conduct may raise harassment concerns. CRD materials on sexual harassment note that harassment includes visual, verbal, and physical conduct; similar severity/pervasiveness concepts often inform hostile-environment analyses for other protected characteristics. See hostile work environment. Harassment protections apply even in workplaces with fewer than five employees.

Retaliation after speaking up

Opposing race discrimination, filing or helping with a CRD complaint, or participating in an investigation may be protected activity. Adverse actions afterward may raise retaliation concerns—see workplace retaliation and wrongful termination.

Glendale and Los Angeles County workplaces

MAGISA LAW works with employees across Los Angeles County from its Glendale office. Local industries and multilingual workplaces can raise overlapping race, ancestry, and national-origin issues. Bring the facts you have; MAGISA LAW reviews every case and discusses next steps in a free consultation.

How FEHA discrimination claims are often raised

Employment discrimination complaints under FEHA are generally filed with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD). CRD’s employment guidance states that a complaint must generally be filed within three years from the date of the alleged discriminatory act. You generally must file with CRD even if you want to go to court, and you can request an immediate right-to-sue notice. CRD investigates or issues a right-to-sue; it does not act as your personal lawyer. Strict deadlines apply. Call promptly so timing can be assessed for your facts.

CRD lists possible remedies that may be available depending on the case, such as back pay, front pay, hiring or reinstatement, promotion, out-of-pocket expenses, policy changes, training, reasonable accommodations, damages for emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees and costs. Whether any remedy fits—and in what amount—depends on the evidence. This page makes no certain outcome claims.

What to gather before you call

1. A short written timeline of what happened and when
2. Emails, texts, chat messages, job postings, or performance reviews
3. Names of decision-makers and witnesses
4. Paystubs, schedules, or promotion/demotion paperwork
5. Handbook policies and any prior complaints to HR
6. Separation paperwork if you were fired or laid off

If you have little paperwork, call anyway. MAGISA LAW reviews every case and discusses next steps in a free consultation.

Related MAGISA LAW pages

• Hostile work environment
• Workplace retaliation
• Wrongful termination
• Glendale employment lawyer
• Contact

Free consultation with MAGISA LAW

MAGISA LAW invites Glendale and Los Angeles County employees to contact the firm for a free consultation to talk through your situation with an attorney. Call 888-818-1099, email hello@magisalaw.com, or use the contact page.

Consultations are available in English, Spanish, Armenian, and Russian with an attorney.

Office: 2550 Honolulu Ave, Suite 105, Glendale, CA 91020.

Frequently asked questions

Does FEHA protect against race and color discrimination?

Yes. CRD lists race and color among protected characteristics for employment discrimination under FEHA.

What if the harassment comes from coworkers, not my boss?

Harassment based on a protected characteristic is prohibited in California workplaces. How employer responsibility works depends on the facts, including who engaged in the conduct and how the employer responded.

Do I need to be a U.S. citizen to file with CRD?

No. CRD states FEHA applies to California workers regardless of citizenship or immigration status, and CRD does not inquire about citizenship or immigration status when you file.

How long do I have to file?

CRD states employment discrimination complaints generally must be filed within three years of the alleged act. Call promptly.

What remedies might be available?

CRD lists possible remedies such as back pay, reinstatement, emotional-distress damages, and attorney’s fees—among others. Whether any apply depends on the case. No website can promise a result.

* Fee and cost terms are discussed during your free consultation.