Workplace harassment rarely stops on its own. The person responsible for it usually keeps showing up, keeps their job, and keeps making your day harder. That kind of pressure wears you down, even before you decide what to do about it. A Huntington Beach employment lawyer can help you understand what protects you if you decide to speak up.
You need to know if what is happening to you counts as harassment under the law, and what protects your paycheck and your position once you report it.
California Employment Counsel, APC is a Huntington Beach workplace harassment lawyer resource for employees across Orange County. It is also the Huntington Beach employment lawyer team many local workers call first.
The firm has taken sexual harassment cases to a jury rather than settling them quietly. That record includes a $2,791,785 verdict against an Orange County employer for the harassment of a teenage employee. A trial record like that can change how an employer responds to your claim from the very first letter, and it means you are not building this case alone.
Tell us what has been happening at your job, and we will help you understand where you stand and what comes next.
| 35+ Years Practicing | Super Lawyers Since 2009 | $7.5M Verdict on Record | Employees Only, Never Employers |
Workplace harassment shows up in more ways than most people expect, and it is often unclear where a bad boss ends and unlawful conduct begins.
We handle:
For 35 years, California Employment Counsel, APC has represented employees only, never employers.
Work should be a place you feel safe, and if your employer has crossed that line, we can help you figure out where you stand.
Contact Now 714-462-8376
California law makes it illegal for an employer or coworker to harass you because of your race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, or other protected status, and the harassment does not have to come from your direct manager to count.
Under Government Code Section 12940(j), an employer is automatically liable for harassment committed by a supervisor. If the harassment comes from a coworker or a non-employee like a client or customer, the employer is liable once it knew or should have known about the conduct and failed to take immediate corrective action.
Waiting to report harassment or speak with a lawyer can hurt your case in ways that are not obvious at first. Memories fade, coworkers who witnessed what happened move on to new jobs, and text messages or emails that would prove your claim can get deleted in the normal course of business.
The people who come forward early, with a lawyer already reviewing what has happened, are often the ones who end up with the strongest cases and the clearest path to real compensation.
What you do in the days right after harassment happens can shape how strong your case becomes later.
A few simple steps protect both your job and your evidence while you decide what comes next:
None of this has to happen perfectly before you reach out. Bring us whatever you already have, and we will help you build the rest of your case from there.
Our trial results in Orange County harassment cases include:
| Outcome | Case Type |
| $2,791,785 jury verdict | Workplace Sexual harassment of a teenage employee at a restaurant, Orange County Superior Court |
| $1,750,000 settlement | Failure to prevent systemic sexual harassment at an international company, handled by Nicholas A. Hane and Daria Iourtchenko |
| $800,000 settlement | Two women sexually harassed at a healthcare facility, handled by Nicholas A. Hane and Victory Van Tuyl |
Raymond E. Hane III, the firm’s founding attorney, has been named a Super Lawyer in California employment law every year since 2009 and has taken more than 30 employment cases to trial.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case, but they show how this firm approaches one.
Ray and Nick were an amazing team to work with during a very hard time in my life. Both worked diligently on a resolution and I am happy to say…
I was lost and calling around for advice to help me with my work situations. Nick was there to help me through it all even when he wasn’t my lawyer…
When I first reached out to Ray and Melissa, I had been terminated from my position for complaining of sexual harassment. Immediately I knew I was in good hands with…
Talk to a lawyer now. California gives you three years from the date of the harassment to file a complaint with the Civil Rights Department under Government Code Section 12960(e), and that clock does not pause because you are still deciding what to do. Waiting also lets evidence disappear and coworkers move on. A short conversation today costs you nothing and can protect a claim you might otherwise lose.
Employment lawsuits from Huntington Beach and the rest of Orange County are generally filed at the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, which handles unlimited civil cases for every city in the county. Before a lawsuit, nearly all workplace harassment claims under California law must go through the Civil Rights Department first, and we handle that filing for you as part of building your case.
California law protects you from retaliation for reporting harassment in good faith, and retaliation itself can become its own claim against your employer. That said, employers sometimes retaliate anyway, often in ways designed to look unrelated, like a sudden bad review or a schedule change. Document everything and tell us right away if your treatment at work changes after you report what happened.
We work on a contingency basis. Your initial consultation is free, and you pay no attorney’s fees unless we win your case. This lets you pursue accountability without adding a legal bill to everything else you are already carrying.
If you still have questions after reading this, the next step is a conversation, not a form full of legal terms.
You do not have to keep carrying this by yourself, and you do not have to figure out whether your situation qualifies before you reach out.
Contact California Employment Counsel, APC today for a free, confidential consultation, and let a Huntington Beach workplace harassment lawyer tell you where you stand while your evidence and your filing deadline are both still working in your favor.
Contact Now
714-462-8376
555 Anton Blvd., Suite 150,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
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