Workplace Harassment Lawyer in San Francisco

If you experienced workplace harassment at a San Francisco 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 Workplace Harassment in San Francisco

FEHA prohibits harassment in any SF workplace based on any protected category - race, religion, disability, age (40+), national origin, ancestry, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, reproductive-health decision-making, and more (Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)). Under Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)(4), the harassment provisions apply to employers with one or more employees, much broader than the 5-employee threshold for discrimination claims. To prove a hostile-work-environment claim under Jones v. The Lodge at Torrey Pines Partnership (2008) 42 Cal.4th 1158, you must show conduct that was based on a protected category, unwelcome, and either severe or pervasive enough to alter your working conditions. A single severe incident can satisfy the standard.

San Francisco Industries Where Harassment Claims Are Most Common

• Tech workers - at Salesforce, Uber, Lyft, OpenAI, X/Twitter, Airbnb, Block, Pinterest, Reddit, Stripe, and LinkedIn. Common claims tied to gender identity, AI-driven evaluation bias, and visa-status pressure.
• Healthcare workers - at UCSF, CPMC/Sutter, Kaiser SF, Dignity Health Saint Francis and St. Mary's, Chinese Hospital, and ZSFG.
• Hospitality workers - at Hilton Union Square, Marriott Marquis, Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, Fairmont, Westin St. Francis, Four Seasons, and Ritz-Carlton.
• Public-sector workers - at the City and County of San Francisco, SFUSD, SFMTA, BART, CCSF, and UCSF.
• Restaurant, retail, and office workers - across SF.

San Francisco City Protections

SF has no separate citywide harassment ordinance beyond California state law, but the SF Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code Article 49) and the SF Lactation in the Workplace Ordinance (SF Police Code Article 33A) overlap with FEHA harassment protections. Harassment is governed by FEHA (Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)) for any employer with 1+ employees and by federal Title VII for employers with 15+ employees. California also requires harassment-prevention training for all employees of companies with 5+ workers (Cal. Government Code section 12950.1). For hospital workers at UCSF, CPMC, Kaiser SF, Dignity Health Saint Francis and St. Mary's, and ZSFG, California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 protects workers who report harassment tied to patient-safety concerns with a $25,000-per-violation civil penalty.

California Law

Individual supervisors can be personally liable for FEHA harassment under Reno v. Baird (1998) 18 Cal.4th 640 (supervisors are not personally liable for discrimination, but they are for harassment). For the full California harassment framework, see our California employment law page.

What Compensation Can You Recover

California does not cap FEHA harassment damages. You may recover back pay, front pay, emotional-distress damages, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees and costs (Cal. Government Code section 12965(c)). SB 331 (Silenced No More Act) means severance agreements cannot bar you from discussing the harassment publicly. For details, see our California employment law page.

How to File a Workplace Harassment Claim in San Francisco

State FEHA charges go to the CRD - statewide intake (800) 884-1684. Federal Title VII charges go to the EEOC San Francisco District Office, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102. Civil suits are heard at the Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.