Both California and the federal government have passed laws that prohibiting discrimination on the basis of certain protected characteristics. Under state and Federal law, both private and public employers in Petaluma can be found liable for discrimination, depending on what type of trait originally prompted the discrimination.

How Does Employment Discrimination Occur?

Employment discrimination occurs when an employer treats you wrongly because of your membership in a legally protected class. Employers can not base their evaluations of you on certain traits including religion, race, age, gender, national origin, and familial status. In order for a claim of employment discrimination to be successful, a Petaluma, California plaintiff must show that his (or her) employer actively intended to treat him differently because of his protected status.

How can Employment Discrimination be Proven in California?

This can be proved when there is a history of the employer treating members of the class similarly, or if witnesses testify about the employer's statements which would constitute bias as understood by a reasonable person. Furthermore, employers who fire someone or retaliate against them for bringing a discrimination lawsuit are clearly in violation of the law.

Because it involves filing a claim with specificed agencies, the procedure for pursuing employment discrimination claims can be complicated. Petaluma, California has many lawyers available to help you in filing in a timely fashion, and they can also help you pursue any remedies that might be available to you while your case is being processed.