Sexual Harassment Lawyer in Sunnyvale

If you experienced sexual harassment at a Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale

Sexual harassment in Sunnyvale happens in the same places you go every day: aerospace and defense engineering campuses at Lockheed Martin Space Systems (Sunnyvale campus - 3,362 employees per City of Sunnyvale's December 2025 Largest Employers report; engineers next-generation interceptors, hypersonic systems, fleet ballistic missiles, and satellite payloads; NYSE: LMT); tech corporate offices at LinkedIn (Microsoft subsidiary - 700 East Middlefield Road, NASDAQ: MSFT), NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP - Sunnyvale-headquartered), Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR - formerly Sunnyvale-headquartered), Yahoo (701 First Avenue), Meta Platforms / Facebook (3,062 + 3,017 employees per City of Sunnyvale's December 2025 report; NASDAQ: META), and Apple offices; retail at Walmart Inc. (3,232 employees per City of Sunnyvale's 2025 list) and the Downtown Sunnyvale / CityLine Sunnyvale redevelopment; classrooms across the Sunnyvale School District (K-8), the Fremont Union High School District / FUHSD (Homestead HS, Fremont HS, Cupertino HS, Lynbrook HS, Monta Vista HS), and Foothill-De Anza Community College District; the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (one of the few combined police-fire-paramedic departments in California); and City of Sunnyvale offices at 456 W. Olive Avenue. The most common Sunnyvale pattern is unwanted touching, comments, or pressure from a supervisor, coworker, patient, or customer, followed by retaliation when the worker reports it.

Sunnyvale Industries Where Sexual Harassment Is Most Common

• Aerospace, defense, and federal-contractor workers at Lockheed Martin - at Lockheed Martin Space Systems (Sunnyvale campus - 3,362 employees per the City of Sunnyvale's December 2025 Largest Employers report; the Sunnyvale campus engineers next-generation interceptors, hypersonic systems, fleet ballistic missiles, and satellite payloads; NYSE: LMT). As a federal defense contractor, Lockheed Martin is subject to: (1) NDAA section 4712 (41 U.S.C. section 4712) whistleblower protection for federal contractor employees who report waste, fraud, abuse, or substantial violations; (2) the federal False Claims Act, including the anti-retaliation provision (31 U.S.C. section 3730(h)); (3) Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) for SEC-registered public-company employees; (4) Dodd-Frank section 922 (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6); and (5) ITAR / export-control employment restrictions. Lockheed Martin workers are also covered by FEHA, Title VII, ADA, and California Labor Code protections.
• Silicon Valley public-company tech workers - at LinkedIn (700 East Middlefield Road / 1000 West Maude Avenue - wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft / NASDAQ: MSFT), NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP - Sunnyvale-headquartered), Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR - formerly Sunnyvale-headquartered, now part of HPE), Yahoo (701 First Avenue), Meta Platforms / Facebook (3,062 + 3,017 employees per City of Sunnyvale's December 2025 report; NASDAQ: META), and Apple offices in Sunnyvale. Tech workers are covered by all standard California FEHA, Labor Code, and federal Title VII / ADA / ADEA / FMLA protections. Public-company employees are also protected by Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank section 922 (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6). Stay-or-pay agreements (training repayment, sign-on bonus clawback, relocation-cost clawback) are void for work performed in Sunnyvale after January 1, 2026 under AB 692 (California Labor Code section 926). Non-competes are void under California Business and Professions Code section 16600 (with AB 1076 and SB 699 making this rule extraterritorial as of January 1, 2024).
• Retail and consumer-services workers - at the Walmart Inc. store and distribution operations (3,232 employees per City of Sunnyvale's 2025 list - one of the largest Sunnyvale employers), the Downtown Sunnyvale / CityLine Sunnyvale redevelopment, and chain retailers along El Camino Real, Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, and Mathilda Avenue including Target, Whole Foods, and many fast-food and restaurant chains. Sunnyvale workers covered by the Sunnyvale Minimum Wage Ordinance earn $19.50/hour effective January 1, 2026 - one of the highest in California. 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 El Camino Hospital Mountain View and Los Gatos campuses (serving Sunnyvale residents - one of the largest community hospital systems in the Bay Area), Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, and private clinics throughout the city. 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.
• Education and government workers - at the Sunnyvale School District (K-8), the Fremont Union High School District / FUHSD (9-12 - operates Sunnyvale's Homestead High, Fremont High, Cupertino High, Lynbrook High, and Monta Vista High), and the Foothill-De Anza Community College District (Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, De Anza College in Cupertino - both serve Sunnyvale residents). The City of Sunnyvale (456 W. Olive Avenue) is a charter city. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety is one of the few combined police-fire-paramedic departments in California; cross-trained public safety 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 (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Manufacturing and biotech workers - at the numerous semiconductor and electronics manufacturers throughout Sunnyvale. Manufacturing workers are covered by Cal/OSHA standards (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8) and California Labor Code section 6310 (retaliation for safety reporting). Federal contractor workers have additional NDAA section 4712 whistleblower protection (41 U.S.C. section 4712). Public-company manufacturing employees also have Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6) protection.

Sunnyvale Local Protections

Sunnyvale has its own local minimum-wage ordinance. The Sunnyvale minimum wage is $19.50/hour effective January 1, 2026 - one of the highest local minimum wages in California, well above the state floor of $16.90/hour. The Sunnyvale rate is adjusted each year based on regional CPI. Sunnyvale is a charter city (incorporated December 1912). Sunnyvale workers also rely on California state law including SB 525 (healthcare-worker tiered schedule) and AB 1228 ($20/hour fast-food).

Sexual harassment in Sunnyvale is governed by FEHA (Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)), which covers any Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale

Civil employment lawsuits filed by Sunnyvale workers are heard at the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Hall of Justice, 190-200 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95110. 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.