Your boss has been making comments about your body. A coworker keeps sending you messages you never asked for. You were told that a better schedule comes with "being friendly." Or you reported what was happening — and then you were fired.
You do not have to accept this. You do not have to stay silent. And you are not alone.
My name is Arlo Uriarte. I am an employment attorney at Liberation Law Group and I have spent over 30 years filing cases on behalf of workers in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Napa, and throughout Northern California. We are a plaintiff's firm — we fight for workers, we file cases, and we do not defend employers. Our office is at 2760 Mission Street in the Mission District, three minutes from 24th Street BART. We speak Spanish. We know our community. And we know exactly what to do when an employer thinks they can get away with it.
Sexual harassment at work is completely illegal under California's FEHA — one of the strongest workplace protection laws in the country. And there are deadlines that expire. Call today for a free consultation in Spanish or English — no cost, no obligation, regardless of your immigration status.
What Is Sexual Harassment at Work? California's FEHA Explained
California's Fair Employment and Housing Act — FEHA — defines sexual harassment far more broadly than most people realize. It does not require physical contact. It does not require that you were fired. It does not require repeated incidents if a single incident was severe enough. And unlike federal law, FEHA protects every worker in California regardless of how many employees their employer has.
Under FEHA, sexual harassment takes two main forms:
Quid Pro Quo Harassment — "Something in Exchange for Something"
This occurs when someone with authority over you — your boss, supervisor, manager, or owner — requests sexual favors in exchange for employment benefits, or threatens negative consequences if you refuse. Real examples from our practice in San Francisco:
- "If you want that weekend shift, you need to be more friendly with me"
- "If you're good to me, I'll give you the raise you asked for"
- "If you reject me, I'm going to have to cut your hours"
- A supervisor who touches you or attempts to touch you and then controls your schedule, your assignments, or whether you keep your job
Quid pro quo is the most direct form of sexual harassment. A single incident is sufficient — it does not need to happen multiple times to be illegal.
Hostile Work Environment — When Harassment Is Pervasive or Severe
This form occurs when sexual conduct is so frequent or so severe that it makes the workplace intolerable for a reasonable person. The harasser does not have to be your direct supervisor — it can be a coworker, a client, or someone from another company working at your location.
- Constant comments about your body, appearance, or personal life
- Sexual jokes or conversations that continue after you ask them to stop
- Sexually explicit photos, videos, or images sent by text, email, or posted at the workplace
- Unwanted physical contact — touching, grabbing, or "accidental" repeated contact
- Messages of a sexual nature sent outside of work hours
- Conduct that makes you feel uncomfortable, humiliated, or afraid at work
Free consultation, 24/7, no cost, no obligation. Everything you tell us is completely confidential.
1-888-442-2642 or request your free case evaluation hereSexual Harassment in San Francisco: What We See Every Week in Our Community
From our office on Mission Street, we hear from workers across the city and the broader Bay Area every week. The cases we file reflect the industries and communities that form the core of San Francisco and Northern California.
Restaurants and Bars — Mission District, North Beach, Castro, Tenderloin
The restaurant industry in San Francisco is where we file the most sexual harassment cases. From taquerias on 24th Street near the Mission BART station to fine dining establishments in North Beach near Washington Square Park, the pattern is almost always the same: a manager or owner uses their power over schedules and money to coerce or pressure workers sexually.
Servers who get the worst shifts when they reject a chef's advances. Kitchen workers who are touched when they pass through. Owners who make comments about employees' bodies in front of customers. All of this is illegal sexual harassment — and we have filed cases against restaurants across San Francisco from the Tenderloin to the Castro and everywhere in between.
Cleaning and Maintenance Services — Financial District, SoMa, Office Buildings
Cleaning workers are particularly vulnerable because they often work alone in office buildings — in the Financial District near the Embarcadero and Ferry Building, and in the SoMa district where hundreds of tech companies have their offices near the Moscone Center. Supervisors who find them working alone take advantage of the isolation. Clients believe they have a right to touch them. And when they complain, they are often warned that their immigration status "could complicate things."
That is exactly the kind of threat employers use to silence victims. It is completely illegal. Under California Labor Code Section 1019, using immigration threats as retaliation carries penalties of up to $10,000 per threat — in addition to the underlying harassment case.
Hotels — Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Japantown
Hotel housekeeping workers in the dense hotel corridors around Union Square face harassment from both supervisors and guests. Entering alone to clean a room where the guest answers inappropriately. Managers who assign specific workers to specific rooms because of how the guest treated them before. Supervisors who request "special service" for certain guests. Under California law, the employer is responsible when it knows — or should know — that harassment is occurring and fails to stop it. That includes guest harassment.
Construction — Mission Bay, Dogpatch, Bayview-Hunters Point
With major construction projects underway near Chase Center in Mission Bay and in the Candlestick development in Bayview-Hunters Point, women in construction trades work in environments where sexual harassment is systematic. Constant comments, unwanted physical contact in trailers or locker rooms, exclusion from training opportunities. "That's just how construction is" is not a legal defense — it is exactly the excuse employers give before we file a case against them.
Napa Valley and Wine Country — Wineries, Packing, Harvest
In the wineries of Napa County and Sonoma County, where a large portion of the workforce is Latino, sexual harassment frequently combines with national origin discrimination and denial of language access. We have represented workers in the Napa Valley in cases that went to trial before the Napa County Superior Court at 825 Brown Street in downtown Napa — and Napa County juries, as our case results section shows, take these situations very seriously.
The 2022 Federal Law That Changed Everything — Your Rights Against Forced Arbitration
If you signed an arbitration agreement when you were hired, you were likely told you had to resolve any dispute with the company privately and could not go to public court. For years, this was a tactic employers used to silence sexual harassment victims.
In 2022, Congress changed that completely. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act prohibits employers from forcing sexual harassment victims into arbitration — regardless of what you signed and regardless of when you signed it.
This means you have the right to take your sexual harassment case to public court, before a jury of your peers, in San Francisco, San Jose, Napa, or any California court. The arbitration agreement you signed at the start of your employment cannot take that right away from you.
Sexual Harassment and Undocumented Workers — Your Rights Are Real
The question we hear most often when working with our Latino community: "Can I file a case if I don't have papers?"
Yes. Absolutely yes.
California's FEHA protects every worker in California regardless of immigration status. Your employer cannot use your immigration situation as a reason to harass you — and if they do, they are committing an additional legal violation.
More importantly: many employers in San Francisco and the Bay Area use the fear of deportation as a weapon to silence sexual harassment victims. They know undocumented workers are more afraid to speak up. They exploit that fear deliberately. In California, doing so is illegal and carries specific penalties.
At Liberation Law Group, we handle every case with absolute confidentiality. We never ask about immigration status. We never share that information with anyone. Our office is in the Mission District — the heart of San Francisco's Latino community — and we have been part of that community for over 30 years. San Francisco is a sanctuary city, and California has some of the strongest protections in the nation for immigrant workers.
100% confidential consultation. We never ask about immigration status. Available 24/7 in Spanish and English.
1-888-442-2642 or request your free case evaluation onlineWhat to Do Immediately If You Are Being Sexually Harassed at Work
The most important thing I can tell you: do not wait. Every day that passes without documentation is a day of evidence lost. Employers count on workers waiting too long. Do not give them that advantage.
Write a private journal — stored at home, never on a work device — recording each incident with the exact date, what was said or done word for word, who was present, and how it affected you. Do this the same day it happens.
Screenshot text messages and emails from your personal phone. Forward inappropriate work emails to your personal address. Save any photos or videos. Do this before the employer can delete evidence — and employers do delete things when they sense a complaint is coming.
Who saw or heard what happened? Are there coworkers who have experienced similar situations with the same person? Write down their full names and contact information. Witnesses are often the difference between winning and losing.
Send an email to HR describing what happened — using email creates a written record. Save all responses, or the lack of them. An employer that receives a written harassment complaint and takes no action is in a very weak legal position.
If your employer offers a severance or separation agreement, do not sign before speaking with an employment attorney. Once you sign, you may permanently waive your legal rights. Call 1-888-442-2642 — the consultation is completely free.
What Documents Do You Need for Your Case?
You do not need everything documented before you call. Many of the workers we have represented had nothing written down when they first contacted us. What matters is taking action.
- Text messages and emails — screenshots of inappropriate communications
- Performance reviews — especially if evaluations worsened after you rejected advances or filed a complaint
- Schedule and assignment records — to show changes after a complaint or rejection
- The employee handbook — to compare written policies with what actually happens
- Personal notes with dates — a contemporaneous journal is powerful evidence at trial
- Witness information — names and contacts of people who can confirm what happened
- Pay stubs — if the harassment also affected your compensation or tips
If you have none of this, do not give up. Through the legal process called discovery, we can compel the employer to produce internal files, emails, personnel records, and any other relevant evidence. Employers are required by law to produce this once a case is filed.
California Legal Deadlines — Time Works Against You
California has specific deadlines for sexual harassment cases. Missing them can permanently eliminate your right to file — regardless of how strong your case is.
3 years from the most recent act of harassment to file a lawsuit directly in court. In San Francisco, that is the San Francisco Superior Court at 400 McAllister Street, near the Civic Center BART station. In Napa County, the Napa County Superior Court at 825 Brown Street. In San Jose, the Santa Clara County Superior Court at 191 North First Street, near SAP Center in downtown San Jose.
1 year to file an administrative complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) at 455 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.
300 days to file with the EEOC (federal).
Up to 10 years for civil lawsuits involving physical sexual assault — California specifically extended this deadline recognizing that many sexual trauma victims cannot act immediately.
Federal cases may be filed at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California at 450 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco — depending on which laws and which theories we pursue in your case.
Why Filing a Case Protects Your Job — Not the Opposite
The fear I hear most often: "If I report this, I will lose my job." I understand that fear completely. Let me explain why the reality is almost always the opposite.
In California, retaliation for reporting sexual harassment is illegal and extremely costly for employers. The moment you file a complaint or lawsuit, powerful legal protections activate that make taking adverse action against you far more legally dangerous for the company than leaving you alone.
Employers understand this. Their employment defense attorneys — and every mid-size or large employer in San Francisco has them on retainer — immediately advise managers that no action can be taken against a worker who has reported harassment. The act of reporting fundamentally shifts the power dynamic.
What if they retaliate anyway? Then they have committed an additional, independent legal violation. Retaliation claims in California often equal or exceed the value of the original harassment claim. And a jury presented with an employer who harassed a worker and then fired her for reporting it has very few sympathies for that employer.
Read about your full legal protections against workplace retaliation in California.
Real Cases We Have Filed — Real Results for Workers Like You
Every case is different, and no honest attorney promises a specific outcome. What I can show you is what we have achieved for workers in real situations, including cases covered by California's most respected publications.
Jury verdict — Napa County Superior Court, 825 Brown Street, Napa. Martha Martinez, a temporary packing worker at Rancho Gordo in Napa, was terminated while pregnant. After four days of deliberation, the jury found that her pregnancy was a factor in her termination and that the company retaliated against her. Covered by the San Francisco Chronicle, Eater SF, and SFGate. Liberation Law Group represented her.
Chappellet Winery, Napa Valley — Napa County Superior Court. Ana Maria Chavez Jimenez, with 29 years of service at the Pritchard Hill winery overlooking Lake Hennessey, filed for disability, race, and national origin discrimination — including repeated denial of a Spanish interpreter in critical HR meetings. Elizabeth Lyons of Liberation Law Group is lead counsel. Covered by SF Chronicle and Wine Business Monthly.
Restaurant worker in North Beach — terminated twelve days after reporting sexual harassment by the manager. Case resolved in 8 months. The timing of the termination made retaliation impossible to credibly deny.
Cleaning worker at a SoMa office building — supervisor requested sexual favors and threatened immigration reporting if she refused. Immigration threats added separate penalties under California Labor Code Section 1019.
Worker at a Mission Bay construction site — daily harassment, sexual images posted in the work trailer, exclusion from projects after rejecting the supervisor's advances. Case resolved before trial.
* Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is unique.
No commitment. No cost. We file cases — we do not settle for less than you deserve.
1-888-442-2642 or request your free case evaluation onlineCommon Mistakes That Damage a Sexual Harassment Case
Waiting Too Long
The most damaging and most common mistake. Evidence disappears. Witnesses change jobs. Emails get deleted. Statutes of limitations expire. Harassment rarely resolves on its own — and every month of waiting weakens your legal position. If something is happening right now, call today.
Telling Coworkers Before Speaking With an Attorney
It is natural to want support from colleagues. But before you discuss what you are experiencing with anyone at work, speak with an employment attorney first. What you say internally can be used against you. Some people you trust will report your conversations to the supervisor — sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
Posting on Social Media
Never post on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or any platform about your workplace situation, your employer, or any legal proceedings. The employer's attorneys actively search social media for posts to use in your case. A single poorly worded post can significantly reduce the value of your claim or harm your credibility before a jury.
Signing a Severance Agreement Without Legal Review
If the employer offers you money to leave and sign something, it is because they know your case is worth more than what they are offering. Do not sign before speaking with us. The consultation is free — and what you preserve could be tens of thousands of dollars.
Assuming You Need a "Perfect" Case
Many harassment victims do not call because they feel their situation "was not bad enough" or they lack sufficient proof. We have won cases that started with nothing more than a worker's testimony and a suspicious pattern of events. Call and let us evaluate your situation. The assessment costs you nothing.
Why You Need an Employment Attorney — Beyond "Hire Us"
Technically you can file a complaint with the California CRD without an attorney. For simple cases where the employer cooperates, that can work.
In reality, employers in San Francisco — especially mid-size and large companies — have employment defense attorneys whose full-time job is to protect the company from exactly your type of case. When you file without legal representation, you are negotiating your financial future against a team of professionals trained to minimize what the company pays.
What we do that you cannot do alone:
- Know what evidence to demand from the employer that you do not know exists
- Understand the exact deadlines and correct jurisdictions — a procedural error can end your case permanently
- Negotiate from a position of strength because employers know we go to trial
- In most successful cases, the employer pays our attorney fees — not you
- Have experience with San Francisco, Napa County, and Santa Clara County juries
At Liberation Law Group we work on full contingency. You pay nothing unless we win. No hidden fees. No bills. No surprises. If we do not recover money for you, you owe us nothing.
What Our Clients Say
"I thought that because I didn't have papers, I had no options. Arlo Uriarte explained everything clearly, in Spanish, without making me feel ashamed. We won the case and I recovered more than I ever expected. Thank you for believing in me when I was starting to doubt myself."
— Client in San Francisco (name protected by confidentiality)
"The manager touched me every day and threatened to cut my shifts if I said anything. I called Liberation Law Group scared and unsure. In less than a year, we resolved the case. It was the best decision I ever made."
— Restaurant worker in the Mission District (name protected)
Where We Serve — San Francisco and All of Northern California
Our main office is at 2760 Mission Street, Second Floor, in the Mission District — three minutes from 24th Street Mission BART, around the corner from Dolores Park. We handle cases throughout the region:
San Francisco: Mission District, Excelsior, Tenderloin, SoMa (near Moscone Center), Financial District (near the Embarcadero and Ferry Building), North Beach, Bayview-Hunters Point, Castro, Union Square, Potrero Hill, Outer Sunset, Chinatown.
Santa Clara County: San Jose (downtown near the Superior Court at 191 North First Street, East San Jose, Santana Row area), Santa Clara, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Mountain View.
Alameda County: Oakland (especially Fruitvale near the BART station), Hayward, Fremont, Berkeley, San Leandro, Pleasanton, Union City.
North Bay: Napa County (including the city of Napa near the Superior Court at 825 Brown Street), Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, Marin County, Vallejo, American Canyon, Solano County, Fairfield.
San Mateo County: Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo, Redwood City, East Palo Alto.
Central Coast: Monterey County, Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, Salinas.
Liberation Law Group — Employment Attorneys for Workers 24/7. Free consultation in Spanish or English. No fee unless we win.
1-888-442-2642 or request your free consultation onlineFrequently Asked Questions About Sexual Harassment in California
Can I file a sexual harassment case if I am an undocumented worker?
Yes — full rights, full protection. California's FEHA explicitly protects every worker in the state regardless of immigration status. Your employer cannot legally use your immigration situation as a reason to harass you, and doing so constitutes an additional legal violation.
Critically: if your employer threatens to report you to immigration authorities to silence your complaint, that is illegal retaliation under California Labor Code Section 1019, carrying penalties of up to $10,000 per threat — separate from your harassment case. Employers in San Francisco and the Bay Area know this, and they know we file cases when they cross this line.
At Liberation Law Group, we handle every case with complete confidentiality. We never ask about immigration status and we never share that information with anyone. Call Arlo Uriarte at 1-888-442-2642 or request your free evaluation online. Available 24/7 in Spanish and English.
Does sexual harassment have to involve physical contact to be illegal?
No — and this is one of the most common misconceptions we encounter. Sexual harassment under California's FEHA does not require any physical contact whatsoever. Verbal harassment, unwanted text messages or emails, sexual images or videos sent without consent, sexual comments about your body or appearance, or any conduct that creates a hostile work environment — all of this is illegal regardless of whether the harasser ever touched you.
The law requires that the conduct be "sufficiently severe or pervasive" to affect the working conditions of a reasonable person. A single incident can meet this standard if it was severe enough — such as a direct sexual assault. Or a series of less severe incidents that together create an intolerable environment can also qualify.
Call 1-888-442-2642 for a free evaluation of your specific situation. We will tell you honestly whether you have a case. The consultation is completely confidential and costs you nothing.
Does my arbitration agreement prevent me from suing for sexual harassment?
No — and this changed dramatically in 2022. The federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, signed into law in March 2022, explicitly prohibits employers from forcing sexual harassment victims into arbitration. This applies regardless of what your agreement says and regardless of when you signed it.
This means you have the right to take your sexual harassment case to public court — before a jury in San Francisco Superior Court at 400 McAllister Street, in Napa County Superior Court at 825 Brown Street, in Santa Clara County Superior Court at 191 North First Street in San Jose, or in federal court at 450 Golden Gate Avenue. The arbitration clause in your employment contract cannot take away this right.
Do not assume any agreement closes every door. Call 1-888-442-2642 and we will review your specific situation for free. The consultation costs you nothing.
What happens if I am fired for reporting sexual harassment?
Call an employment attorney immediately — and do not sign anything your employer sends you. What you are describing is workplace retaliation: an independent legal violation separate from the original harassment claim. In California, retaliation for reporting sexual harassment is illegal and carries severe consequences for employers.
When you are fired for reporting harassment, you have a wrongful termination claim in addition to the original harassment claim. Damages frequently double or triple when retaliation is involved. And a San Francisco or Bay Area jury presented with a sequence of events — worker reports harassment, employer fires worker — has very little sympathy for that employer.
Call Arlo Uriarte immediately at 1-888-442-2642, available 24/7 in Spanish and English. Do not sign any severance or separation agreement before speaking with us — the consultation is completely free.
How long do I have to file a sexual harassment lawsuit in California?
California provides multiple options with different deadlines. The most important is 3 years from the most recent act of harassment to file a lawsuit directly in court. In San Francisco, that means the San Francisco Superior Court at 400 McAllister Street near the Civic Center BART. In Napa, the Napa County Superior Court at 825 Brown Street. In San Jose, the Santa Clara County Superior Court at 191 North First Street, a few blocks from SAP Center downtown.
For administrative complaints with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), the deadline is 1 year. For the EEOC (federal), 300 days. For civil lawsuits involving physical sexual assault, California extended the deadline to up to 10 years — recognizing that many survivors cannot act immediately due to trauma.
The deadline begins from the last act in an ongoing pattern of harassment — not the first. Even so, do not delay. Call 1-888-442-2642 to find out exactly which deadline applies to your specific situation.
How much can I recover in a sexual harassment case?
Under California's FEHA, the available damages in sexual harassment cases are among the most generous in the nation. You can recover lost wages — everything you lost because of the harassment or its consequences. Future lost earnings if your career was damaged. Emotional distress damages with no statutory cap — unlike federal law, California's FEHA places no ceiling on these amounts. Medical and therapy costs. Punitive damages to punish intentional wrongdoing. And in most successful employment cases, the employer pays your attorney fees rather than those coming out of your recovery.
We obtained a $252,000 jury verdict in Napa County Superior Court in a case covered by the San Francisco Chronicle, Eater SF, and SFGate. We have also resolved cases before trial in San Francisco, the South Bay, and throughout the Bay Area.
Every case is different. Call 1-888-442-2642 for a free, honest evaluation of what your specific situation might be worth. The consultation costs you nothing.
What is quid pro quo sexual harassment and how do I prove it?
Quid pro quo means "something in exchange for something." It occurs when someone with authority over you — a supervisor, manager, or owner — conditions employment benefits on sexual favors, or threatens negative consequences if you refuse. Examples: "Be friendlier to me and I'll give you the raise." "If you turn me down, I'm going to have to cut your hours." "Sleep with me or you're fired."
To prove it, you need to show: (1) the harasser had supervisory authority over you, (2) they made sexual propositions or threats, and (3) your response affected some condition of your employment. A single incident is sufficient — it does not need to be repeated.
Evidence can include text messages or emails, witnesses who heard the conversation, changes in your schedule or assignments after you refused, and your own detailed testimony. Call 1-888-442-2642 to evaluate the specific evidence you have. The consultation is free.
Can I sue if my harasser is a client, not a coworker or supervisor?
Yes. Under California's FEHA, your employer can be held liable for harassment by clients, customers, or contractors — if the employer knew or should have known about the harassment and failed to take reasonable steps to stop it. This is a critical protection for workers in restaurants, hotels, cleaning services, and other customer-facing industries.
We frequently file cases in San Francisco and the Bay Area where the harasser is a regular customer, a hotel guest, a contractor working on the same site, or someone from a related company. What matters is whether the conduct created a hostile work environment and whether the employer failed in its duty to protect you once it knew — or should have known — about the problem.
Call 1-888-442-2642 for a free evaluation of your specific situation. We handle cases across San Francisco, Napa, San Jose, and all of Northern California. Available 24/7 in Spanish and English.
Related pages: Workplace Discrimination · Gender Discrimination · Pregnancy Discrimination · Workplace Retaliation · Wrongful Termination · Wage Theft
