Sexual Harassment Lawyer in Torrance

Sexual harassment in Torrance workplaces most often arises at automotive corporate offices (American Honda North American HQ), in aerospace manufacturing at Robinson Helicopter and Honeywell Aerospace, at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, and at retail and hospitality employers along Hawthorne Blvd. and at the Del Amo Fashion Center. Call us at 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Sexual Harassment in Torrance

Sexual harassment in Torrance happens in the same places you go every day: automotive and corporate operations at American Honda Motor Co. headquarters at 1919 Torrance Boulevard (Honda has been a major Torrance employer for decades); the former Toyota Motor Sales USA headquarters (Toyota moved its North American headquarters from Torrance to Plano, Texas by 2017, relocating about 3,000 jobs - a major Cal-WARN event); patient floors at Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance; classrooms at the Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) and El Camino College (which serves Torrance); retail at the Del Amo Fashion Center (one of the largest shopping malls in the U.S.); and the City of Torrance (charter city, incorporated 1921). The most common Torrance pattern is unwanted touching, comments, or pressure from a supervisor, coworker, patient, or customer, followed by retaliation when the worker reports it.

Torrance Industries Where Sexual Harassment Is Most Common

• Automotive industry workers at American Honda Motor Co. - at American Honda Motor Co. headquarters at 1919 Torrance Boulevard - Honda has been a major Torrance employer for decades and is the U.S. headquarters of the global Japanese automaker (publicly traded as NYSE: HMC). Honda workers are covered by California FEHA, Cal. Labor Code, and federal Title VII / ADA / ADEA. Public-company employees (NYSE: HMC) have specific protections under Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A), Dodd-Frank section 922 (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6), the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (18 U.S.C. section 1836), the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Cal. Civil Code section 3426 et seq.), and California Bus. & Prof. Code section 16600 (no non-competes).
• Former Toyota Motor Sales USA workforce and Toyota legacy / Cal-WARN history - at the former Toyota Motor Sales USA headquarters in Torrance. Toyota moved its North American headquarters from Torrance to Plano, Texas by 2017, relocating about 3,000 jobs - one of the largest Cal-WARN events in South Bay history. Workers terminated in this relocation had rights under the California WARN Act (Cal. Labor Code section 1400 et seq.) for 60 days' advance notice and up to 60 days of back pay plus benefits. Workers who took age-based involuntary terminations may have FEHA age-discrimination claims (Cal. Gov. Code section 12940) and federal ADEA (29 U.S.C. section 626) claims.
• Healthcare workers at Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary - at Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance - two major hospitals serving the South Bay. Covered by SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16), 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. Providence-system workers have additional precedent in the $229 million Bennett v. Providence unpaid-wages jury verdict (April 18, 2024 King County, covering 33,000+ Providence Health & Services workers).
• K-12 education workers at Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) - at the Torrance Unified School District. Covered by California Education Code sections 44930-44987, 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. PEPRA and the 6-month government-claim deadline apply.
• Community college workers at El Camino College - at El Camino College (which serves Torrance from its nearby campus). Community-college employees are covered by HEERA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3560-3599) for management/excluded employees or EERA for faculty and classified staff, Cal. Education Code sections 87600-87683, PEPRA, and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• City of Torrance government and public-safety workers - at the City of Torrance (charter city, incorporated 1921), the Torrance Police Department, and the Torrance Fire Department. Per the Torrance Chamber of Commerce, the City of Torrance does not have its own minimum-wage ordinance; the state minimum wage applies. 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 (Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Retail workers at Del Amo Fashion Center - at the Del Amo Fashion Center (3525 W. Carson Street, Torrance - one of the largest shopping malls in the United States). Retail workers covered by IWC Wage Order 7 (mercantile industry). Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).
• Aerospace and defense workers (Northrop Grumman and others) - at aerospace and defense contractors in and around Torrance (Northrop Grumman has historical Torrance-area operations). Public-company aerospace contractor employees have specific protections under the federal False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. sections 3729-3733), Defense Contractor Whistleblower Protection (10 U.S.C. section 4701), Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A), and Dodd-Frank section 922.

Torrance Local Protections

Torrance has no separate citywide minimum-wage, hotel-worker, fair-workweek, or paid-sick-leave ordinance beyond California state law - confirmed by the Torrance Chamber of Commerce. Torrance is a charter city incorporated in 1921. Torrance workers rely on the state-level minimum-wage floor (Cal. 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 - directly relevant to Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary workers), and the California WARN Act (relevant to Honda, Toyota, and aerospace-contractor restructuring).

Sexual harassment in Torrance is governed by FEHA (Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)), which covers any Torrance 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). Major Torrance employment-law precedent includes the historic Toyota Motor Sales USA relocation from Torrance to Plano, Texas (about 3,000 jobs by 2017) - one of the largest Cal-WARN events in South Bay history. Workers terminated had California WARN Act rights (Cal. Labor Code section 1400 et seq.) for 60 days' advance notice and up to 60 days of back pay plus benefits; age-based involuntary terminations may also have FEHA age-discrimination claims (Cal. Gov. Code section 12940) and federal ADEA claims (29 U.S.C. section 626).

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 Torrance

Civil employment lawsuits filed by Torrance workers are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court - Torrance Courthouse, 825 Maple Avenue, Torrance, CA 90503 (Southwest 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.