Los Angeles Racial Discrimination Lawyer

Racial Discrimination · Los Angeles Employment Law

Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman, P.C.

(877) 619-8966

Racial Discrimination Lawyer Serving Los Angeles Workers

Race discrimination remains the largest single category of discrimination charges filed with the EEOC nationally, and Los Angeles, with one of the most diverse workforces in the country, sees cases across nearly every industry. California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, and national origin, and provides stronger remedies than federal law under Title VII.

The Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman represent Los Angeles workers who faced disparate treatment, a racially hostile work environment, or retaliation after reporting racial discrimination.

Patterns of Race Discrimination

Pattern	What It Looks Like
Disparate treatment	Similarly situated employees of different races are disciplined, paid, or promoted differently for the same conduct
Hostile work environment	Racial slurs, jokes, or symbols that are severe or pervasive enough to alter working conditions
Disparate impact	A neutral policy (grooming rules, criminal background checks) disproportionately harms one racial group without business necessity
Retaliation	Adverse action taken against an employee who reported discrimination or participated in an investigation
Segregation	Assignment to less desirable shifts, locations, or roles based on race

EEOC Race Discrimination Data

Fiscal Year	Race Charges (National)	% of All Charges
FY 2021	20,908	33.7%
FY 2022	18,852	30.9%
FY 2023	21,858	32.4%

Source: EEOC Charge Statistics FY 2023

Employer Liability

An employer is strictly liable for harassment by a supervisor that results in a tangible employment action, such as termination or demotion. Where a supervisor’s harassment does not result in a tangible action, or where the harasser is a coworker, the employer is liable if it knew or should have known about the conduct and failed to take prompt, effective corrective action. Reporting the conduct through your employer’s complaint procedure, and keeping a record of when and how you reported it, strengthens a case significantly.

Race discrimination claims frequently overlap with national origin and religious discrimination claims. If you complained and faced retaliation, see our page on retaliation claims. If the discrimination led to your termination, you likely also have a wrongful termination claim.