Sexual abuse at work is one of the most devastating experiences a worker can endure. The power held by the aggressor — whether a boss, a supervisor, or even a coworker — combined with the fear of losing one’s job or not being believed, keeps many victims in silence for years. But in California, the law is on your side — and Liberation Law Group is here to defend it with you.
My name is Arlo Uriarte, employment lawyer at Liberation Law Group. We have been representing victims of workplace sexual abuse and harassment in San Francisco and throughout Northern California for over 15 years. The consultation is free, completely confidential, and available 24/7. Call 1-888-442-2642 or request your free evaluation here.
What is Workplace Sexual Abuse
Workplace sexual abuse takes many forms — from verbal harassment to physical assault. Under California law, the most common legal term is “sexual harassment,” but sexual abuse covers a broader spectrum that includes both civil employment law violations and criminal offenses.
Sexual harassment — hostile environment: Unwanted sexual conduct — comments, gestures, images, or touching — that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create an intimidating or offensive work environment. It can include sexual jokes, comments about the body, persistent unwanted invitations, or exposure to sexual material.
Sexual harassment — quid pro quo: When a person in authority conditions job benefits on the acceptance of sexual conduct. “If you want that promotion, you have to…” — that is quid pro quo, one of the most serious forms of sexual harassment.
Sexual assault: Non-consensual sexual physical contact — inappropriate touching, groping, or worse. It is civil sexual harassment and can also be a criminally prosecutable offense.
Learn the detailed legal difference on our page about the difference between sexual harassment and sexual assault at work.
Why Victims Don’t Speak Up — and Why You Should
We deeply understand the silence. Victims of workplace sexual abuse stay silent for many valid reasons: fear of losing their job, fear of not being believed, shame or guilt that doesn’t belong to them, concerns about immigration status, fear of retaliation, or simply the trauma of what happened.
But there is something important to understand: time is not your ally in these cases. Legal deadlines are running — in California you have 3 years from the most recent act of harassment under FEHA, and up to 10 years for certain civil sexual assault lawsuits. Every day that passes without action is potentially evidence lost, witnesses forgetting, and deadlines shortening.
And there’s something else: silence often doesn’t protect the victims — it protects the aggressors. When a victim finally takes action and discovers others suffered the same conduct from the same aggressor, the case is significantly strengthened. Your decision to act can protect future victims.
Your story deserves to be heard — in total confidentiality.
Attorney Arlo Uriarte can listen to you today — for free, in Spanish, with absolute confidentiality. 1-888-442-2642 — free consultation here — 24/7.
Employer Responsibility in Sexual Abuse Cases
In California, the employer has an active legal obligation to prevent and correct sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace. This obligation includes:
Automatic liability for supervisors: If the aggressor is a supervisor — someone with authority over your work, your schedule, or your employment conditions — the employer is automatically responsible for the abuse. You don’t need to prove the employer knew about it.
Liability for coworkers: If the aggressor is a coworker (not a supervisor), the employer is responsible if they knew or should have known about the abuse and failed to take reasonably prompt corrective action. If you reported the abuse and the employer didn’t act, that is direct responsibility.
Liability for third parties: If the abuse was committed by a client, vendor, or outside contractor, the employer may be liable if they knew of the risk and failed to act to protect you.
Employer liability is fundamental because it means you can sue the company — not just the individual aggressor — which generally means a greater financial capacity to pay compensation. Read about your rights regarding workplace sexual harassment.
Industries with Higher Incidence of Sexual Abuse in Northern California
Agriculture: The fields of the Salinas Valley and Sonoma County are high-risk areas. Female field workers are particularly vulnerable due to isolation, economic dependence on the job, and the almost absolute power of harvest supervisors.
Domestic work: Caregivers and domestic workers in Marin County, San Mateo County, and the residential areas of San Francisco work in private homes where isolation facilitates abuse.
Restaurants and hospitality: Restaurants in the Mission District, North Beach, and establishments in the Napa Valley have a high incidence of sexual harassment from customers and supervisors.
Construction: Construction sites in SOMA, Mission Bay, and Solano County are predominantly male environments where female workers frequently face inappropriate sexual conduct.
Healthcare sector: Hospitals and clinics — including Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health in the Bay Area — have healthcare workers who report harassment from supervisors and patients.
Did you suffer sexual abuse at work in Northern California?
Call 1-888-442-2642 to speak with attorney Arlo Uriarte. Free evaluation — confidential — in Spanish — 24/7.
What You Should Do if You Suffered Workplace Sexual Abuse
Get to safety first: If the abuse included physical assault, seek immediate safety. If necessary, call 911.
Medical attention: Seek medical attention even if you don’t have visible injuries. Medical records are important evidence and some injuries are not immediately visible.
Document everything: Write down what happened in as much detail as possible — date, time, place, the aggressor’s exact words, witnesses present. If there are text messages, emails, or any communication with the aggressor, save them.
Do not bathe or change clothes immediately: If there was physical contact, preserving physical evidence can be important for any process — civil or criminal.
Report (optional): You can report to the police, to Human Resources, or decide not to report at that moment. Any of these decisions is valid. What is urgent is calling an employment lawyer.
Call Liberation Law Group: Before talking to the employer, HR, or the company’s lawyers — call 1-888-442-2642. The consultation is completely free and confidential.
What You Can Recover in a Workplace Sexual Abuse Case
In California, victims of workplace sexual abuse can recover compensation for: lost wages if you left the job or were fired, emotional damages — anxiety, depression, PTSD, insomnia, impact on personal relationships — with no maximum limit under FEHA, costs of psychological and medical treatment, punitive damages in cases of especially grave conduct or when the employer actively covered up the abuse, and attorney’s fees paid by the employer in successful cases.
The fact that emotional damages are uncapped in California means these cases can be worth significantly more than in many other states. A free evaluation can give you a concrete estimate based on your situation. Read about rights cases if you are sexually assaulted at work.
Legal Deadlines — Don’t Wait Any Longer
For sexual harassment under FEHA: 3 years from the most recent act. For civil sexual assault lawsuits: up to 10 years. For victims who were minors: even longer deadlines. Read about the statutes of limitations for workplace sexual assault.
Acting early is always better. Call 1-888-442-2642 today.
Frequently Asked Questions — Workplace Sexual Abuse in California
What is workplace sexual abuse and when is it illegal?
Workplace sexual abuse includes any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature — from inappropriate comments to physical assault. Under California’s FEHA Law, sexual harassment that creates a hostile environment or conditions job benefits (quid pro quo) is completely illegal. Physical abuse can additionally be a criminal offense. The law does not require the abuse to be extreme to be illegal — conduct that is sufficiently severe or a pattern of inappropriate behavior can be enough. If you experienced something that made you feel unsafe or interfered with your work, call 1-888-442-2642 to evaluate if it was illegal.
Can I sue if the abuse happened several years ago?
It depends on when it happened. Under California’s FEHA, you have 3 years from the most recent act to file a sexual harassment lawsuit. For civil sexual assault lawsuits under the Civil Code, the deadline can be up to 10 years. For victims who were minors at the time of the abuse, the deadlines are longer. Additionally, if the abuse was part of a continuous pattern, the deadline starts from the most recent act — not the first one. Don’t assume your deadline has passed without consulting a lawyer. Call 1-888-442-2642 for a free and confidential evaluation.
Do I need physical evidence for a workplace sexual abuse case?
No. Most workplace sexual abuse cases do not have direct physical evidence — and California courts and juries understand this. Your testimony is evidence. Text messages or emails from the aggressor are evidence. Testimony from coworkers who witnessed the abuse or to whom you told about it is evidence. Medical or therapy records documenting emotional harm are evidence. Patterns of the aggressor’s behavior with other victims are evidence. You don’t need perfect evidence to start — a lawyer can evaluate your case with what you have and obtain more through the legal process. Call 1-888-442-2642.
Does the arbitration agreement I signed prevent me from suing for sexual abuse?
Not for cases of sexual harassment or assault. The federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (2022) states that no arbitration agreement can force a victim of sexual abuse to resolve their case outside of public courts. You can choose to go to a jury trial — regardless of what you signed. This protection applies to any arbitration agreement signed before or after the abuse. Read why sexual harassment claims are no longer subject to forced arbitration.
Can I sue if I am an undocumented worker and suffered sexual abuse?
Yes. Protections against workplace sexual abuse apply to all workers in California regardless of their immigration status. Your undocumented status does not reduce your rights or the value of your case. If your employer used your immigration status as a tool to perpetuate the abuse or silence you, that significantly aggravates their legal liability. We handle all cases with total confidentiality — we do not share information with any government agency. Call 1-888-442-2642.
How much can my workplace sexual abuse case be worth?
In California, workplace sexual abuse cases can include: lost wages if you left the job or were fired, emotional damages with no maximum limit under FEHA (anxiety, depression, PTSD), costs of psychological and medical treatment, punitive damages when the employer covered up the abuse, and attorney’s fees. The combination of uncapped emotional damages and the possibility of punitive damages means these cases can be very significant. In similar serious cases with documented emotional harm, we have seen recoveries of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Call 1-888-442-2642.
What happens if I report and the employer fires me?
That would be illegal retaliation — an additional violation that adds significant value to your case. If your employer fires you, reduces your hours, demotes you, or takes any negative action because you reported sexual abuse, that is illegal under FEHA and the California Labor Code. In many cases, retaliation is easier to prove than the original abuse because there is a clear temporal pattern — you reported and then you were fired. Retaliation in sexual harassment cases often results in significant additional compensation. Read about your rights regarding workplace retaliation.
Does Liberation Law Group handle sexual abuse cases throughout Northern California?
Yes. We represent victims of workplace sexual abuse in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sonoma County, Marin County, Napa County, Watsonville, Monterey County, and the entire region. We handle all cases with absolute confidentiality. Call 1-888-442-2642.
Your Dignity Matters — Act Today
What you suffered was not your fault. You don’t have to keep carrying that weight alone. Liberation Law Group is here to listen to you and to defend you with the full force of California law. Call 1-888-442-2642 or complete our free form. Attorney Arlo Uriarte is ready — in English or Spanish, at no cost, with total confidentiality, 24/7.
Liberation Law Group — Attorneys for Workers 24/7
2760 Mission Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94110
1-888-442-2642
Free Consultation in English or Spanish — No Obligation — No Fee Until We Win
