San Bernardino Employment Discrimination Lawyers
Free Case Evaluation
$2 Billion
in Personal Injury Results
$150 Million
in Employment Law Results
for First Responders
Strong advocacy when police departments, fire departments, and other San Bernardino agencies violate the rights of their employees
San Bernardino is the economic and cultural center of San Bernardino Valley in Southern California. San Bernardino County and the city of San Bernardino are some of the largest employers. The police officers, firefighters, and first responders who help keep the residents of San Bernardino safe deserve to be treated with respect. The county, city, and various agencies and departments who hire any type of first responders must comply with federal and California employment laws.
At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our discrimination lawyers have more than 35 years of experience fighting for law enforcement, firefighters, and other responders who lose their jobs, cannot improve their work prospects, do not get hired, or suffer other adverse employment conditions - due to their identity and other personal characteristics such as race, gender, and national origin. Our San Bernardino employment discrimination lawyers also represent first responders when their employers retaliate for asserting their rights and when employees suffer workplace harassment.
Quick Questions
- What is your record of success handling employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases?
- What types of employees do your San Bernardino employment lawyers represent?
- What types of employee claims do you handle in San Bernardino?
- What is employment discrimination?
- What is employment harassment?
- What is employment retaliation?
- What laws protect police officers, firefighters, and first responder employees from discrimination?
- Where do you file my San Bernardino employment claim?
- What damages can employees receive for San Bernardino employment claims?
- Do you have a San Bernardino employment discrimination lawyer near me?
What is your record of success handling employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases?
We work to protect your job and to demand compensation for all your financial damages. McNicholas & McNicholas LLP has secured more than $150 million for the employees we represent (click on employment and civil rights successes), including the following recoveries for police officers, firefighters, and first responders. Our recoveries include many recoveries for one million dollars or more for claims involving discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims – and sometimes a combination of two or all three of those claims:
$13.1 Million
for Two Male LAPD Police Officers in Sex Discrimination and Retaliation Case.
$11.65 Million
for an LAPD K9 Bomb Unit dog handler in retaliation case.
$11.56 Million
jury verdict for a former LAPD Bomb K9 trainer who faced discrimination and retaliation after he reported violations of the law.
$10.1 Million
verdict for this amount on behalf of a Captain at the Los Angeles Police Department against the LAPD.
$5.9 Million
for 10 Los Angeles Police Department motor officers who claimed they were retaliated against for refusing to follow a ticket quota.
$5.8 Million
against the City of Los Angeles in a retaliation case on behalf of an LAPD officer.
$5.6 Million
for a Bomb Tech discrimination case.
$5.3 Million
verdict in favor of an African American member of a Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad for harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
$3.6 Million
for an LAPD employee facing retaliation after standing up for a female officer who had been subjected to harassment and discrimination.
$3.59 Million
for a Japanese-American police officer for harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
$3 Million
for six firefighters who suffered retaliation after blowing the whistle on LAFD’s dangerous and unlawful building inspections.
$2.8 Million
secured a $2.8 million verdict on behalf of now-retired Riverside Police Department Officer Shawn Casteel against the City of Riverside.
$3 Million
on behalf of six Whittier police officers who allegedly faced retaliation for refusing to participate in an illegal quota.
$2.5 Million
for four officers from the Internal Surveillance Unit, an elite sector of the LAPD’s Special Operations Division, in a retaliation case.
$2.33 Million
for a female SWAT officer denied a position on an elite squad.
$2.23 Million
for three LAPD female employees for discriminatory and retaliatory actions.
What types of employees do your San Bernardino employment lawyers represent?
At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we take great pride in helping first responders of all types (police, firefighters, and others) - both public and private - in San Bernardino who protect us from harm. Some of the many ways these courageous workers keep us safe include responding to criminal conduct, keeping the roads safe when there are vehicle accidents, putting out fires, and helping us when there are medical emergencies.
Our San Bernardino employment discrimination lawyers handle the full range of employment claims, including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. We represent:
- Law enforcement officials. These workers include police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and other officials.
- Firefighters. These employees include people who fight fires at private and commercial residences, as well as public property throughout San Bernardino. Firefighters also protect residents from wildfires and smoke damage.
- First responders. First responders include EMTS, paramedics, park rangers, correction officers, and other people who help when there is a crisis.
What types of employee claims do you handle in San Bernardino?
Our San Bernardino employment lawyers have 35 years of experience representing police officers, firefighters, first responders, and related personnel in a wide variety of employment issues (we discuss discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims in greater detail in the next section).
- Wage and hour claims. Employees and contractors work hard, often putting their lives at risk. We fight to ensure that these workers receive the pay they deserve - based on federal and California laws, San Bernardino regulations, their employment contracts, and any collective bargaining agreements.
- Executive compensation claims. At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we have experience helping employees obtain the full benefits they deserve for management and special-skill positions, including severance pay, salary, employee benefits, retirement benefits, bonuses, and stock options.
- Qui tam/whistleblower claims. We represent workers and former workers who disclose fraud and other illegal conduct involving federal or state agencies. Our lawyers have the skills and experience to help these whistleblowers obtain, according to specific laws like the False Claims Act, a percentage of any recoveries.
- Whistleblower retaliation claims. Our San Bernardino employment attorneys are strong advocates when police departments, fire departments, and other public and private employers punish or try to intimidate any worker who discloses illegal conduct.
- Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act (CFRA) violations. Our lawyers assert the rights of employees, under the FMLA and CFRA, to spend time with family members in the event of a birth, adoption, illness, or other health emergencies or concerns.
- Workers’ compensation retaliation. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our lawyers file lawsuits when employers retaliate against you for asserting your worker’s compensation rights or supporting another worker’s rights - after a workplace injury or illness.
- Wrongful termination. Our employment lawyers hold employers liable when they discharge you in violation of federal laws, state laws, employment contracts, collective bargaining agreements, or local regulations.
What is employment discrimination?
Employees deserve to be judged on their ability to do their job. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we fight tenaciously and promptly when a police officer, firefighter, or first responder suffers any type of discrimination based on their personal identity characteristics.
A discrimination claim in San Bernardino involves showing the following two factors:
- You suffer an adverse employment decision. These include the following failures of your employer:
- Hire your for a job you have the skills and experience to perform;
- Pay you what you deserve;
- Provide the training and education other workers in your job category receive;
- Provide reasonable workplace accommodations if you have a disability or a pregnancy;
- Receive a work-quality promotion;
- Receive a promotion;
- Receive your share of pay, leave, and retirement benefits, and
- Protect you from improper transfers, suspensions, or job terminations;
- You are a member of a protected class status. Our San Bernardino discrimination lawyers will explain when your employer is in violation of any federal laws, California laws, or court decisions that protect employees based on the following:
- Race, skin color, and national origin;
- Gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation;
- Disability;
- Age (40 or older);
- Pregnancy;
- Genetic information;
- Military or veteran status;
- Religion; or
- Weight
What is employment harassment?
Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act provides that the following qualifies as “harassment”:
- Quid pro quo harassment. “Enduring offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment” (quid pro quo harassment). For example, being told that favorable employment conditions depend on sexual favors.
- Hostile workplace harassment. “The conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.” For example, sexual harassment involves being present where there are sexual jokes, materials, and conversations.
You can file an employment harassment lawsuit in San Bernardino even if you’re not the target of the offensive conduct.
What is employment retaliation?
Our San Bernardino employment discrimination lawyers are ready to stand up for your employee rights when employers retaliate because you stood up for your rights or supported the rights of other workers. At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we file employment claims against San Bernardino county and city employers (and private employers) who retaliate against police officers, firefighters, and first responders who:
- File a discrimination, harassment, or retaliation complaint.
- Support the employment claims of another officer, firefighter, or first responder.
- File a whistleblower claim, FMLA claim, or workers’ compensation claim.
- Assert any other legal right.
What laws protect police officers, firefighters, and first responder employees from discrimination?
At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we understand the full range of federal, California, and San Bernardino laws and regulations that protect workers. We file complaints when employers violate these laws and regulations, including the following legislation:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA);
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
- Equal Pay Act of 1963; and
- The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (CFEHA)
- Other federal laws include:
- The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA)
- The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Our San Bernardino employment discrimination lawyers will explain the eligibility requirements for filing each type of claim – such as the number of employees your employer must have to permit your claim.
Where do you file my San Bernardino employment claim?
We normally begin the discrimination, harassment, or retaliation claims process by filing your claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the California Civil Rights Department (CCRD). If these agencies cannot resolve your claim, we file a complaint with the state and federal courts in San Bernardino County. We can file some types of employment claims, such as executive compensation disputes, directly with the federal or California courts without having to go through the EEOC or the CCRD.
What damages can employees receive for San Bernardino employment claims?
At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, Partners John, Patrick, and Matthew are Fellows of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates, selective organizations that recognize practitioners with extensive legal experience and a record of success. Our team of lawyers has the experience and advocacy skills to handle every type of public or private employer discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claim.
We demand compensation for all the damages the laws and your contracts provide, including:
- Pay. This includes back pay (lost earnings to date) and front pay (future loss of earnings).
- Benefits. These include lost health, seniority, retirement, and other benefits.
- Emotional distress and damage to your reputation.
- Injunctive relief. We demand that your employers hire, promote, or rehire you.
- Training, educational, and advancement opportunities.
- Legal fees and court costs.
- Statutory damages.
- Reasonable workplace accommodations if you have a disability.
- Punitive damages when justified
Do you have a San Bernardino employment discrimination lawyer near me?
McNicholas & McNicholas meet police officers, firefighters, and first responders at our office located at 10866 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400, Los Angeles, 90024. Our family of attorneys also discuss cases by phone through online conferences such as Zoom and FaceTime.
We understand how anxious and upset you are, and we’re here to answer your questions, explain your rights, and fight for all the employee benefits you deserve.
Get help from our accomplished San Bernardino workplace discrimination lawyers now
Police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and other first responders risk their lives and health to protect us. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we feel it is our duty to return the favor by fighting for first responders when their employers discriminate, harass, or retaliate. Call or use our contact form today to schedule a free consultation. We’re ready to assert your employee rights today.
List of Agencies We are Suing or Have Sued
Police departments
- Berkeley PD
- Chula Vista PD
- Culver City PD (Non-LEO)
- El Monte PD
- El Segundo PD
- Fremont PD
- Huntington Beach PD
- Palo Alto PD
- Pomona PD
- Redondo Beach PD
- Riverside PD
- San Diego PD
- Ukiah PD
- Walnut Creek PD
- Willits PD
Sheriff departments
- Contra Costa Sheriff (Non-LEO/Employment)
- LA Co Sheriff
- Santa Barbara County Sheriff
- San Joaquin County Sheriff
- Shasta County Sheriff
Fire departments
- Berkeley Fire/CoB (Non LEO)
- LAFD
City of Richmond (Non-LEO/Employment)
LAWA