Workplace Harassment Lawyer in Torrance

Torrance's concentration of Japanese and Korean corporate offices produces distinctive national-origin and language-based harassment fact patterns, California's anti-English-only and accent protections (Government Code section 12951) are routinely tested. Aerospace shop floors and hospital wards add their own harassment patterns. Government Code section 12923 makes a single severe incident actionable. Call us at 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Workplace Harassment in Torrance

FEHA prohibits harassment in any Torrance 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.

Torrance Industries Where Harassment Claims Are 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).

California requires harassment-prevention training for all employees of companies with 5+ workers (Cal. Government Code section 12950.1).

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 Torrance

State FEHA charges go to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Los Angeles Office, 320 West 4th Street, 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Federal Title VII charges go to the EEOC Los Angeles District Office, 255 East Temple Street, 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Civil suits are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court - Torrance Courthouse, 825 Maple Avenue, Torrance, CA 90503 (Southwest District). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.