Employment Discrimination

Employees or job applicants in a protected class who suffer an “adverse employment action” — such as termination, demotion, a cut in pay or hours, not being promoted, a negative change in the terms and conditions of your employment, or another similar type of action — due to discrimination must prove that their protected class status was a “substantial factor” in the adverse employment action.

Both federal and California laws prohibit discrimination based on many important categories. In California, the laws prohibit workplace discrimination based on a person’s.

Under California law, employers may not discriminate against California employees based on the following protected categories:

• Disability (mental and physical)
• Age (40 and over)
• Gender identity, gender expression
• Ancestry, national origin
• Medical condition
• Marital status
• Veteran status
• Religion
• Race, color
• Sexual orientation
• Sex or gender (including pregnancy, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions)