Why people use this
It costs nothing to find out where you stand, nothing goes to your employer, and what you send goes to a real employment lawyer licensed in California — not a database, not a lead list. You do not need to know whether what happened was against the law; that is what the lawyer works out once they have read your file.
What this is about
This covers treatment connected to characteristics the law protects. What matters is the pattern and what can be shown.
Things people describe
- Opportunities go to others in a pattern you can describe.
- Comments were made about a protected characteristic.
- A rule is applied to you and not to others.
If any of this sounds like your situation, that does not tell you whether anything went wrong — it tells you it may be worth having someone look.
What helps
- Anything written — messages, notes, emails.
- Names and roles of people who saw it.
- Records of the decisions you are describing.
We ask for documents because they show what happened better than memory does. If you do not have something, say so; a gap is a normal part of a case and not a reason to stop.
In California
California's Fair Employment and Housing Act covers this ground and is broader than the federal equivalent in several respects.
Claims about work usually have time limits, and they can be shorter than people expect. We cannot tell you what your own time limit is — that depends on your situation. If this matters to you, it is worth finding out sooner rather than later.
What happens if you start
Write down what happened while you remember it, including who was there.
About us
Worker Rights Line is not a law firm and cannot give you legal advice. We help you put your situation and your documents together, and pass them to an employment law firm in California who decides whether they can act for you.
Reviewed by Jelmer de Boer on 2026-08-19.
Based on: Government Code § 12940 (FEHA). Check at review.