Huntington Beach Sexual Harassment Lawyer

If you have been sexually harassed in Huntington Beach, take a stand with help from Manly, Stewart & Finaldi. We are a team of highly experienced sexual harassment, assault and abuse attorneys with an office based in Southern California. After suffering sexual harassment at work, a doctor’s office, school or anyplace else, we can help you protect yourself and exercise your legal rights. Contact us for a free and confidential case consultation to learn more.

Why Choose Our Huntington Beach Sexual Harassment Attorney?

  • Our founder and lead sexual harassment attorney, John C. Manly, has represented clients for over 20 years. He has won many awards, honors and recognition in the legal community for excellence in this time.
  • Our law firm has a long history of securing impressive case results. This includes multiple nine-figure global settlements for Huntington Beach sexual abuse cases. We can go up against any corporation or adversary on your behalf, including Fortune 500 companies.
  • We are dedicated to the well-being of our clients and will always put you first. If you wish to come forward anonymously with a sexual harassment or discrimination lawsuit, we will prioritize your confidentiality.

How Can Hiring a Sexual Harassment Lawyer Help You?

Filing a sexual harassment claim is not always easy. Coming forward may cast your future into uncertainty. An attorney can help you navigate all of the issues pertaining to a sexual harassment claim, including California’s related laws. You can trust your lawyer to protect you every step of the way as you seek justice and financial compensation.

A Huntington Beach sexual harassment lawyer can provide many important services, such as:

  • Explaining California’s sexual harassment laws and your legal options as a victim.
  • Conducting a thorough investigation of the sexual harassment incident.
  • Creating a timeline of events and collecting evidence, including discovering witnesses.
  • Obtaining relevant documents and evidence through subpoenas.
  • Identifying one or multiple defendants to hold liable for sexual harassment.
  • Filling out and filing the paperwork required to initiate your claim.
  • Taking over communications with an insurance company to negotiate a fair settlement.
  • Filing an additional claim against your employer if you suffered retaliation.
  • Taking your sexual harassment case to trial in Orange County if a settlement cannot be reached.

At Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, we personalize our legal services and strategies to suit each client’s unique needs. When you choose us, you will work with lawyers who care about you and your case as much as you do. We are willing to go the extra mile to secure the case results that you deserve after being sexually harassed or assaulted in Huntington Beach.

What Is Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment is an illegal activity characterized by unwelcome and unwanted sexual advances or behaviors. If someone makes unwelcome physical advances, inappropriate remarks based on sex, or other unwanted conduct or behavior of a sexual nature, it is sexual harassment. While many sexual harassment cases involve these issues in the workplace, sexual harassment and discrimination can occur anywhere.

Common examples of sexual harassment include: 

  • Requests to perform sexual favors
  • Sexual advances, including statements and physical conduct
  • Unwanted sexual comments or gestures
  • Inappropriate or unwelcome touching
  • Inappropriate gifts
  • Sexual jokes or innuendos 
  • Profane or suggestive looks or gestures
  • Making comments on an individual’s appearance
  • Sexualized images posted in public areas
  • Unsolicited sexually explicit messages, emails, photos or videos

Many sexual harassment cases in Huntington Beach also involve issues associated with retaliation against an employee for speaking up against harassment, such as wrongful termination, severance agreements, and wage and hour claims. If you dealt with any form of sexual harassment – as an employee or otherwise – you may qualify for compensation.

Types of Workplace Sexual Harassment: Quid Pro Quo vs. Hostile Work Environment

Workplace sexual harassment cases involve one of two main types of harassment: quid pro quo and hostile work environment. Quid pro quo is “something for something” or “this for that” sexual harassment. In the workplace, this can refer to a boss or supervisor offering employment advancement in exchange for sexual favors, or – conversely – threatening job demotion or termination for refusing to participate in sexual activities.

A hostile work environment is a workplace that does not feel safe, inviting or conducive for productive work due to harassing behaviors by others in the workplace. It can refer to a workplace environment or culture that is abusive, intimidating, frightening or offensive because of harassment by coworkers or superiors. In general, petty annoyances and isolated incidents are not enough to prove a hostile work environment. The issue must be pervasive and ongoing, except in severe cases.

What Sexual Harassment Cases Do We Accept in Huntington Beach?

While you are looking for the right sexual harassment lawyer in Huntington Beach to represent you, search for experience with your specific type of case. This will ensure that your attorney knows how to handle your case. The attorneys at Manly, Stewart & Finaldi have been representing clients in California for over a quarter of a century. We understand sexual harassment cases inside and out.

Types of sexual harassment cases we accept include, but are not limited to:

If you endured any of these forms of sexual harassment in Huntington Beach, we urge you to contact an attorney at Manly, Stewart & Finaldi as soon as possible to discuss the proper course of action to take. We can help you go up against an employer or any other party that victimized you with unlawful practices and illegal behaviors.

Laws Against Sexual Harassment and Retaliation in California

There are both state and federal laws against sexual harassment in California. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination in housing and the workplace. Under this act, you are entitled to a workplace environment that is free from sexual harassment. In addition, housing providers (including landlords) cannot subject you to sexually harassing or inappropriate behaviors or retaliate against you for reporting harassment. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces federal sexual harassment and discrimination laws. The EEOC states that it is unlawful to harass or discriminate against a person because of that person’s sex. This specifically refers to harassment in the workplace against employees and job applicants. If you suffer from sexual harassment in Huntington Beach, you can file a complaint with both state and federal protective agencies to request intervention on your behalf.

Steps to Take if You’ve Been Sexually Harassed in Huntington Beach

If you experience sexual harassment in Huntington Beach, there are steps that you should immediately take to protect yourself physically, emotionally and legally. Do not stay silent, as this could allow the harassing behaviors to continue – against yourself as well as others.  

Take the following steps to report the harassment and protect your personal safety:

  • Report sexual harassment: report your experience to the proper authorities. In the workplace, this would be a superior or the human resources department. If you believe you are in danger or it is an emergency, report the incident to the police by calling 911.
  • Go to a higher authority: if an institution fails to respond appropriately to your sexual harassment complaint, take it to the next level by contacting the EEOC or the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) for government intervention.
  • Gather evidence: collect evidence to support your sexual harassment claim. This may include records, documentation, emails or communications, videos, employment records, eyewitness statements, and medical records.
  • Protect yourself from the harasser: if someone has put you in fear of bodily injury or imminent harm, call the police. You can also contact an attorney about filing for a protective (restraining) order in Orange County. Get medical care for any physical injuries, as necessary.
  • Contact a sexual harassment attorney: when you are ready to seek financial compensation for sexual harassment in Huntington Beach, contact a lawyer at Manly, Stewart & Finaldi. We can guide you through the steps required to bring a claim.

Do not neglect to take care of the emotional side of sexual harassment, as well. Tell someone about your experience, such as a loved one. Seek professional counseling if you are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other effects from the incident. Document these costs in preparation for a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Damages Available to Sexual Harassment Victims in Huntington Beach

 Sexual harassment can have significant consequences. Someone who is targeted by a perpetrator may experience major impacts on his or her professional and personal life due to sexual harassment or discrimination. Harassment could lead to someone quitting school or leaving a job, for example, as well as mental health problems such as chronic anxiety. 

Filing a civil sexual harassment lawsuit could result in financial compensation (known as damages) for all of these losses. You may have the right to file a claim against an individual as well as an institution, such as your employer, a company or corporation, a school, a church, or another organization.  

A successful claim could lead to damages for the following types of losses:

  • Medical costs and hospital bills: past and future medical care that you need due to sexual harassment, which may include a hospital stay, counseling, therapies and doctor’s appointments.
  • Lost wages: income and employment benefits lost due to sexual harassment in the workplace or from having to take time off of work to deal with the repercussions of being harassed outside of work. 
  • Pain and suffering: a financial award given to make up for a victim’s personal losses, such as physical pain, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, weight loss, feelings of guilt or shame, hopelessness, PTSD, and lost quality of life.

If you came forward regarding sexual harassment and suffered retaliation, such as your employer firing you, you could also be eligible for additional financial compensation from a retaliation lawsuit, such as back pay or wrongful termination damages. An attorney from Manly, Stewart & Finaldi can help you pursue monetary damages for all of the economic and noneconomic losses you have suffered due to sexual harassment.

What if Sexual Harassment Leads to Sexual Assault?

Unfortunately, sexual harassment is not always as far as a perpetrator is willing to go with his or her crimes. In some cases, sexual harassment leads to more aggressive or violent sexual misconduct, including sexual assault or rape. This may include unwanted kissing, touching of your private parts, groping, penetration, rape, attempted rape or sodomy.

In this circumstance, report the crime immediately to law enforcement so the police can create an official record of the crime and potentially make an arrest. Go to a medical center in Huntington Beach that offers a sexual assault forensic exam. This will not only provide you with the medical care you need but also collect any available DNA evidence from the perpetrator.

Seek help for the psychological side of surviving sexual assault from a friend, therapist or a source such as the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673). Then, when you are ready to pursue justice against the person who sexually assaulted you, contact Manly, Stewart & Finaldi for a free and confidential case consultation with one of our compassionate attorneys.

Time Limits for Filing a Claim

There is a time limit on how long you have to file a sexual harassment civil claim in the state of California. For the most part, if you wait too long and miss the deadline, the courts will refuse to hear your case. This is why it is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible about a potential lawsuit.

As of January 1, 2020, the statute of limitations on sexual harassment claims in California is three years from the date of the alleged violation to file a claim with the DFEH. Then, the claimant will have one additional year from the date of receiving a right-to-sue notice from the DFEH to file a lawsuit.

Speak to a Top-Rated Huntington Beach Sexual Harassment Lawyer Today

Sexual harassment is not something you should ever have to deal with at work, school, a doctor’s office or anywhere else. You have rights that can be protected by contacting an attorney at Manly, Stewart & Finaldi. You can contact us online by filling out the form on our website or call us directly at (800) 700-8450 to speak to an attorney who cares about you, your case and your future. Our Southern California office is located at 19100 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 800, Irvine, CA 92612.