Sexual Harassment Lawyer in Ontario

If you experienced sexual harassment at an Ontario workplace, you have strong protections under California law. We represent employees only, never employers, and offer a free, confidential consultation. 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Sexual Harassment in Ontario

Sexual harassment in Ontario happens in the same places you go every day: terminals, ramps, cargo facilities, and back-of-house at Ontario International Airport / ONT (2900 East Airport Drive - one of the fastest-growing airports in Southern California, supporting more than 30,000 jobs across passenger and cargo operations including UPS, FedEx, and Amazon Air; owned and operated by the Ontario International Airport Authority / OIAA, a joint-powers authority of the City of Ontario and County of San Bernardino); store floors and food courts at Ontario Mills (1 Mills Circle - 28 million annual visitors, the only indoor outlet shopping destination in Southern California, owned by Simon Property Group; includes AMC 30 Theatres); warehouses and distribution centers along the I-10 / I-15 corridor (UPS, Uline, Inc., Amazon, FedEx, and dozens of 3PLs identified in the City's Ontario Thinks Business booklet); medical offices for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG); classrooms across the Ontario-Montclair School District / OMSD (K-8) and the Chaffey Joint Union High School District / CJUHSD (211 West Fifth Street - 9-12, ~2,015 staff, serves Ontario, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and portions of Fontana, Upland, Chino, and Mount Baldy); event staff at the Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center (2000 East Convention Center Way); and City of Ontario offices at 303 East B Street. The most common Ontario pattern is unwanted touching, comments, or pressure from a supervisor, coworker, patient, or customer, followed by retaliation when the worker reports it.

Ontario Industries Where Sexual Harassment Is Most Common

• Aviation, airport, and air-cargo workers - at Ontario International Airport / ONT (2900 East Airport Drive, Ontario, CA 91761 - 30,000+ jobs, owned by the Ontario International Airport Authority / OIAA, a joint-powers authority of the City of Ontario and County of San Bernardino). Direct OIAA employees are public-sector workers subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2). ONT hosts major air-cargo operations by UPS, FedEx, and Amazon Air plus passenger airlines (Southwest, Delta, American, United, Frontier, Spirit, Alaska, China Airlines). Airline workers are covered by the Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. section 151 et seq.) for collective bargaining and AIR21 (49 U.S.C. section 42121) whistleblower protection. Ground-handling and ramp workers are typically W-2 employees of contractors (Menzies, Worldwide Flight Services, etc.) covered by California Labor Code and FEHA.
• Warehouse, logistics, and distribution workers - at the major distribution centers along the I-10 / I-15 corridor in Ontario, including UPS, Uline Inc., Amazon, FedEx, and dozens of third-party logistics companies identified in the City's Ontario Thinks Business booklet. Covered by California's Warehouse Quotas Act, AB 701 (Cal. Labor Code sections 2100-2112), which requires written quota disclosure, prohibits quotas that interfere with meal, rest, or bathroom use, and provides a private right of action. Client-employer liability under California Labor Code section 2810.3 makes brand-name retailers and logistics companies jointly responsible for staffing-agency and subcontractor wage violations. Truck drivers are covered by federal STAA whistleblower protection (49 U.S.C. section 31105).
• Retail and entertainment workers - at the Ontario Mills super-regional outlet mall (1 Mills Circle - 28 million annual visitors, the only indoor outlet shopping destination in Southern California, owned by Simon Property Group), AMC 30 Theatres at Ontario Mills, Toyota Arena (formerly Citizens Business Bank Arena), and the Ontario Convention Center (2000 East Convention Center Way). Common claims: wage and hour (off-the-clock and rounding violations under Cal. Labor Code sections 226.7, 510, 512), commission disputes (Cal. Labor Code section 2751), and sexual harassment under FEHA (Cal. Gov. Code section 12940(j)). Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).
• Healthcare workers - at the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) Ontario medical offices and Kaiser Permanente Ontario Vineyard Medical Center, plus private clinics, urgent-care centers, and skilled-nursing facilities. Covered by SB 525 healthcare worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16), California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation), and California Nurses Association (CNA) / SEIU-UHW collective bargaining agreements (which do not waive statutory FEHA or California Labor Code rights).
• Education workers - at the Ontario-Montclair School District / OMSD (K-8) and the Chaffey Joint Union High School District / CJUHSD (211 West Fifth Street, Ontario, CA 91762, (909) 988-8511 - 9-12 district with approximately 2,015 staff, serves Ontario, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and portions of Fontana, Upland, Chino, and Mount Baldy). Protected by Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194 due-process rights, California Whistleblower Protection Act (Cal. Gov. Code section 8547), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Government and public-sector workers - at the City of Ontario (303 East B Street), Ontario Police Department (Ontario operates its own police department), Ontario Fire Department, and the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA). Peace officers are covered by the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR, Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.). Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.

Ontario Local Protections

Ontario has no separate citywide minimum-wage, hotel-worker, fair-workweek, healthcare-worker, or paid-sick-leave ordinance beyond California state law. Ontario workers rely on the state-level floor under California Labor Code section 1182.12 ($16.90/hour effective January 1, 2026) plus industry-specific state rules including AB 1228 ($20/hour fast-food), SB 525 (healthcare-worker tiered schedule), and AB 701 (warehouse quotas - directly relevant to Ontario's massive I-10 / I-15 warehouse corridor and ONT air-cargo operations).

Sexual harassment in Ontario is governed by FEHA (Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)), which covers any Ontario employer with 1 or more employees for harassment claims, and by federal Title VII (15 or more employees). California also requires sexual-harassment prevention training for all employees of companies with 5 or more workers (Cal. Government Code section 12950.1).

California Law

California gives you broad statewide protection against sexual harassment. For the full statutory framework, deadlines, and how the state laws fit together, see our California employment law page and the in-depth California Sexual Harassment Guide.

What Compensation Can You Recover

California does not cap damages for sexual harassment claims. For a full breakdown of what you can recover, see the California Sexual Harassment Guide.

How to File a Sexual Harassment Claim in Ontario

Civil employment lawsuits filed by Ontario workers are heard at the San Bernardino County Superior Court, San Bernardino Justice Center, 247 West Third Street, San Bernardino, CA 92415. For agency contacts, deadlines, and the full filing process, see our California employment law page. We handle the filing process for you, call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.