Sexual Harassment Lawyer in Pasadena

Sexual harassment in Pasadena workplaces most often arises in research labs at Caltech and JPL (small-team power imbalances between principal investigators and graduate or postdoc workers), at Huntington Hospital and Kaiser Pasadena (where harassers can be physicians with admitting privileges or non-employee patients), in retail and hospitality at Old Pasadena and Paseo Colorado, and in financial services along Lake Avenue. Call us at 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Sexual Harassment in Pasadena

Sexual harassment in Pasadena happens in the same places you go every day: research and engineering operations at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in nearby La Canada Flintridge (managed by Caltech under a $30 billion 10-year contract running through September 30, 2028 - though after 68 years NASA is opening JPL's contract to competitive bidding for the first time) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) campus; patient floors at Huntington Health (Huntington Hospital); classrooms at the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) and Pasadena City College (PCC); retail at Old Town Pasadena, South Lake Avenue, and Paseo Colorado; the City of Pasadena (charter city with the highest local minimum wage in the San Gabriel Valley at $18.57/hour effective July 1, 2026); and corporate headquarters throughout the city. The most common Pasadena pattern is unwanted touching, comments, or pressure from a supervisor, coworker, patient, or customer, followed by retaliation when the worker reports it.

Pasadena Industries Where Sexual Harassment Is Most Common

• Aerospace, research, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) workers - at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) managed by Caltech under a $30 billion 10-year contract running through September 30, 2028 (after 68 years NASA is opening JPL's contract to competitive bidding for the first time, with significant workforce uncertainty). JPL/Caltech engineers and scientists are protected by federal whistleblower laws including the NASA Inspector General Act, Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) for any federal contractor work, and California whistleblower protections (Cal. Labor Code section 1102.5). Any major reduction in force may trigger California WARN Act (Cal. Labor Code section 1400 et seq.) notice obligations.
• Higher education workers at Caltech - at the California Institute of Technology - a private research university with a globally-recognized faculty and research staff. Caltech employees have federal whistleblower protections under the False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. sections 3729-3733) for reporting fraud against the U.S. government on federally-funded research, Title IX (20 U.S.C. section 1681), the National Labor Relations Act, and California FEHA / Labor Code protections. Caltech faculty and grad-student researchers have important protections under California Labor Code section 1102.5 (whistleblower retaliation) and Education Code provisions.
• Healthcare workers at Huntington Health (Huntington Hospital) - at Huntington Health (Huntington Hospital) - one of the major hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley. Covered by SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16) which reaches $25/hour at large hospital systems on July 1, 2026; California Health & Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation); and CNA / SEIU-UHW / NUHW collective bargaining agreements.
• K-12 education workers at Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) - at the Pasadena Unified School District. Covered by California Education Code sections 44930-44987 (permanent-employee dismissal protections), the Educational Employment Relations Act (EERA / Cal. Gov. Code sections 3540-3549.3), Cal. Education Code section 44113 (school-employee whistleblower protections), and CTA-affiliated collective bargaining agreements. PUSD has a dual-enrollment program with Pasadena City College. PEPRA and the 6-month government-claim deadline apply.
• Community college workers at Pasadena City College (PCC) - at Pasadena City College. Community-college employees are covered by HEERA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3560-3599), Cal. Education Code sections 87600-87683, PEPRA, and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• City of Pasadena government and Pasadena Water and Power workers - at the City of Pasadena (charter city), the Pasadena Police Department, the Pasadena Fire Department, and Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) - the city's municipally-owned electric and water utility. PWP utility workers may have Energy Reorganization Act section 5851 (42 U.S.C. section 5851) whistleblower protections. Police covered by POBR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.); firefighters by FBOR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3250 et seq.); all public employees by PEPRA, MMBA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3500-3511), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Retail, restaurant, and hospitality workers in Old Town Pasadena - at Old Town Pasadena, along South Lake Avenue, and at Paseo Colorado. Pasadena has its own Minimum Wage Ordinance (adopted March 14, 2016), with the citywide minimum wage rising to $18.57/hour effective July 1, 2026 (up from $18.04). Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).

Pasadena Local Protections

Pasadena has its own Minimum Wage Ordinance adopted by the Pasadena City Council on March 14, 2016. The citywide minimum wage rises to $18.57/hour effective July 1, 2026 (up from $18.04), the highest in the San Gabriel Valley. Pasadena workers are also covered by the California state minimum wage floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1182.12 - $16.90/hour effective January 1, 2026) and industry-specific state rules including AB 1228 ($20/hour fast-food), SB 525 (healthcare-worker tiered schedule - directly relevant to Huntington Health workers), and AB 701 (warehouse quotas).

Sexual harassment in Pasadena is governed by FEHA (Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)), which covers any Pasadena 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). Caltech engineers and scientists at JPL face significant employment uncertainty: NASA is currently opening JPL's management contract to competitive bidding for the first time in 68 years (current $30 billion 10-year Caltech contract runs through September 30, 2028). Proposed NASA budget cuts could affect JPL employment significantly - any large reduction in force must comply with California WARN Act (Cal. Labor Code section 1400 et seq.) notice obligations.

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 Pasadena

Civil employment lawsuits filed by Pasadena workers are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court - Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (Northeast District). 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.