Berkeley Employment Discrimination Lawyers
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$2 Billion
in Personal Injury Results
$150 Million
in Employment Law Results
for First Responders
Tough representation for police officers, firefighters, and first responders in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, in Alameda County, is home to one of the best universities in the country, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and many other attractions. All residents and visitors to Berkeley rely on the Berkeley Police Department, Berkeley Fire Department, EMTs, paramedics, and other first responders to protect them. The police, firefighters, and other emergency responders rely, in turn, on McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, to protect them when their employers discriminate based on their race, sexual orientation, national origin, or other protected classes. Our Berkeley employment discrimination lawyers also handle harassment claims, retaliation complaints, and many other types of employee rights lawsuits. Call us today if your employer is not respecting your employee rights. We are ready to fight for all the compensation and job security you deserve.
Quick questions
- What successful recoveries have your lawyers had in California discrimination, harassment, and retaliation employment cases?
- What categories of workers do your Berkeley employment attorneys represent?
- What types of employee claims do your Berkeley employment lawyers handle?
- What is employment discrimination?
- What is employment harassment?
- What is employment retaliation?
- What federal and California laws protect employees?
- What agencies and courts hear my Berkeley employment claim?
- What is the value of my Berkeley employment case?
- Do you have a Berkeley employment discrimination lawyer near me?
What successful recoveries have your lawyers had in California discrimination, harassment, and retaliation employment cases?
At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, our employment lawyers have obtained more than $150 million for our clients. Our settlements, awards, and verdicts include numerous recoveries for millions and hundreds of thousands of dollars in discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases, including the following:
$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 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
retaliation lawsuit represented four officers from the Internal Surveillance Unit, an elite sector of the LAPD’s Special Operations Division.
$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 categories of workers do your Berkeley employment attorneys represent?
At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our lawyers consider it an honor to help ensure our protectors work for employers who respect them. We represent public and private first responders who combat crime, keep Berkeley’s communities safe, extinguish fires, and provide first aid. When employers dishonor their service by making employment decisions based on a worker’s personal characteristics instead of their job performance, we’re here to help.
Our Berkeley employment discrimination lawyers represent every type of first responder in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other employment claims, including the following:
- Law enforcement officials. These employees include police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and other workers who protect us from crimes, help when accidents happen, and provide many other types of emergency assistance.
- Firefighters. These workers include firefighters who fight through smoke and flames to protect residential, commercial, and public property – and who may provide emergency medical assistance.
- First responders. First responders include emergency medical technicians, correction officers, park rangers, and other Berkeley workers who provide assistance during a crisis.
What types of employee claims do your Berkeley employment lawyers handle?
Our Berkeley employment lawyers handle a broad range of employee rights claims for every type of first responder. In addition to discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, which we discuss below, we handle:
- Wage and hour claims. We represent employees and independent contractors when employers fail to pay them for their hourly work, shift work, overtime, and any other type of work arrangement. Our team is here to assert the relevant federal, state, and Alameda County wage laws, including minimum wage laws and the earnings you deserve according to the Federal Labor Standards Act and the Equal Pay Act. We also assert your pay rights based on any employment contracts or collective bargaining agreements.
- Executive compensation claims. At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, our lawyers help managers, supervisors, and workers with special skills who have written employment contracts. Our Berkeley employment lawyers demand that employers honor these contracts and pay your salary, health benefits, retirement benefits, stock options, bonuses, severance compensation, and other contractual benefits.
- Qui tam/whistleblower claims (and retaliation claims).Our lawyers file federal and California whistleblower and whistleblower retaliation claims when employees disclose fraudulent and/or illegal employer conduct that involves the federal, California, or local government.
- FMLA (the federal Family and Medical Leave Act) and CFRA (California Family Rights Act) violations. We hold employers accountable when they fail to provide leave for qualified employees so the employers can spend time with their family in the event of a birth, adoption, sickness, death, or any family health condition.
- Retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our attorneys hold employers accountable when they punish employees for filing a work injury claim or supporting another worker’s work injury claim.
- Wrongful termination. Our Berkeley employment lawyers hold employers accountable when they fire you in violation of the federal or California discrimination laws or employment laws – or in violation of your employment or collective bargaining agreement.
What is employment discrimination?
You work hard to obtain the skills and experience to work as a police officer, firefighter, EMT, or any other type of first responder. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our lawyers hold employers accountable when they overlook your ability to do your job by focusing on your race, sex, sexual orientation, country of origin, or other identity characteristics.
The two main criteria for filing a discrimination claim in Berkeley/Alameda County are adverse employment conditions and protected classes.
Adverse employment conditions
Your employer must negatively affect your employment in some way. Common examples include the following employer actions:
- Failing to hire you even though you meet and/or exceed the core job requirements.
- Firing you even though you have quality job performance reviews and/or seniority.
- Failing to provide opportunities for advancement, such as the opportunity to take classes and work on more difficult assignments.
- Not paying you what you deserve or reducing your pay.
- Promoting less qualified candidates ahead of you.
- Failing to provide reasonable workplace accommodations if you have a disability or a pregnancy.
- Denying authorized leave, work benefits, and retirement benefits.
- Transferring you to a less desirable location or giving you a less than desirable assignment.
- Other adverse employment conditions
Protected class
Federal and state discrimination laws (and court cases) generally require that you be a member of a “protected class” in order to be able to file a discrimination case. Protected classes, depending on the applicable laws, include:
- Race, country of origin, and skin color;
- Gender, sexual orientation, and sexual preference;
- Disability;
- Age (40 or older);
- Pregnancy;
- Religion;
- Veteran or military status;
- Genetic information;
- Weight.
What is employment harassment?
Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act provides that the following qualify as “harassment”:
Quid pro quo harassment
This includes offensive conduct that becomes a condition of continued employment. An example is conditioning a promotion or your job on sexual favors.
Hostile workplace harassment
This conduct includes listening to conversations, observing images, or hearing jokes that are sexually offensive, racially offensive, or offensive because of your protected class – that a “reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.”
Workers can file an employment harassment lawsuit in Berkeley even if other people are the target of the offensive conduct as long as they are present when the offensive conduct occurs.
What is employment retaliation?
Many employers try to punish or intimidate employees who assert their rights or support the rights of other workers. At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we hold Alameda County and Berkeley employers accountable when they try these unconscionable tactics. Our lawyers file retaliation claims on behalf of police officers, firefighters, and other first responders when employers retaliate against workers who:
- File a discrimination, harassment, or retaliation complaint.
- Support other workers who assert their own employment claim – such as by testifying in court.
- File a whistleblower claim, workers’ compensation claim, or medical leave claim.
- Assert any other legal right.
What federal and California laws protect employees?
At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, our lawyers use every federal, California, and local law that protects employees. We keep current with changes in the law. Some of the laws we use for you include:
- 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)
- The FMLA and CFRA (federal and California medical leave laws)
- Other federal laws, including:
- The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA)
- The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
We’re prepared to explain the eligibility requirements, such as protected class status requirements and how many employees your employer must have (generally, 15 for federal claims and 5 for state claims).
What agencies and courts hear my Berkeley employment claim?
Most discrimination cases begin with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the California Civil Rights Department (CCRD). When these agencies cannot resolve your claim, our Berkeley employment discrimination lawyers file complaints in the Alameda County courts and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. We file some employment claims directly with a federal or state court – depending on the type of claim and the applicable laws.
What is the value of my Berkeley employment case?
At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, our lawyers demand compensation that will place you in as near a position as possible as you were before your rights were violated, that will compensate you according to the terms of your employment agreements, and will also compensate you for any statutory or contractual damages the law permits.
Our Berkeley employment discrimination lawyers demand that employers pay for all your damages to date (back damages) and your future damages (front damages), including:
- This includes your wages, salary, and any other income.
- These include health, seniority, vacation, retirement, and other benefits.
- Emotional distress and damage to your reputation.
- Educational expenses
- Attorney fees and court costs.
- Statutory damages.
- Reasonable workplace accommodations if you have a disability.
- Punitive damages for malicious conduct.
We also seek court orders that require that employers hire you, reinstate you, or promote you.
Do you have a Berkeley employment discrimination lawyer near me?
McNicholas & McNicholas meets police officers, firefighters, and other first responders at our office located at 10866 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400, Los Angeles, 90024. Our family of lawyers also conducts consultations by phone and through online video.
Our lawyers understand how upset and angry you are. We’re here to explain your rights and explain how each step of your claim process works.
Speak with our respected Berkeley workplace discrimination lawyers now
At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we’ve earned the respect of former clients, insurance companies, and the legal community for our dedication to our clients and our impressive record of results. Our employment lawyers are ready to help restore your finances and your career when employers discriminate, harass, or retaliate. Call us or fill out our contact form today to schedule a free consultation.
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