National Origin Discrimination

At Gallenberg PC, our Los Angeles, Burbank, and Beverly Hills national origin workplace discrimination lawyer protects the rights of employees throughout the state of California who are subjected to adverse actions by their employers because that person is from a different country or part of the world, or because of their ethnicity or accent, or their perceived ethnicity or national origin.

In some circumstances, national origin discrimination in the workplace may involve discrimination based on unjustified English-fluency requirements and English-only rules and policies.

It also may include treating a person unfavorably because of his or her association with someone or a group generally associated with a particular national origin, language, civic, or cultural organization.

If you believe you were discriminated against because of your national origin, our Los Angeles County employment law attorney may be able to help you.

We do not charge prospective clients for a confidential telephone intake or online case review and are available to discuss your case when you are ready to tell your story.

Discrimination is not always easy to detect. Because discrimination is illegal, it often appears in subtle ways that can be denied when an employer is confronted about unlawful behavior.

That does not mean there are no legitimate signs of discrimination because of an employee’s national origin, and it can start as early as asking improper questions during the interview process or through adverse actions taken during their employment.

That includes any questions or adverse actions taken against an employee because of his or her:

• Ancestry
• Background
• Cultural Heritage (including ethnic food or music)
• Language Ability, if Not Relevant to the Job
• Accent
• Lineage
• Nationality
• Parents or Spouse’s Ancestry

Adverse employment actions taken against someone because of their national origin may include:

• Lower pay for employees of certain countries.
• Lesser benefits or workplace privileges for employees of certain regions.
• Failing to consider applicants with ethnic-sounding names.
• Making fun of an individual’s accent or stereotypes about people from a certain country such that it can become harassing.
• Stereotypical or insensitive jokes about a particular country directed at an employee from that country which causes emotional distress.
• Different rule enforcement involving workers of different backgrounds.
• Exclusion from meetings and events.
• Change in work duties or workload increases.
• Sudden changes in job performance reviews.
• Reduced hours or pay.
• Failing to put a stop to racism or ethnic jokes in the workplace.
• Failing to promote.
• Discharging an employee.

Employees who are discriminated against because of their ancestry or national origin are protected by both federal and state laws, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which has a general prohibition on English-only rules, and the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), which prohibits workplace harassment and discrimination based on an employee’s national origin.

Like other discrimination cases, the offending behavior may be subtle, so it is important to take notes of the exact statements and incidents or unfair treatment to have evidence of the discrimination and the basis of the discrimination. Incidents of insensitive remarks, teasing, or tasteless jokes about someone’s country may rise to the level of workplace harassment depending on the severity and frequency. This harassment claim would be an additional claim to the national origin discrimination claim.

Yes. Co-workers, contractors, vendors, customers, or supervisors can all engage in workplace harassment and discrimination, and each instance of this behavior is unlawful.

If you are experiencing workplace discrimination because of your national origin or perceived national origin:

• Contact a workplace national origin discrimination lawyer near you to discuss your options and obtain guidance.
• Document the instances of discrimination or harassment in detail, including the time, date, and offending parties.
• Retain all emails, messages, or communications with harassing or discriminatory content.
• Report the behavior to your supervisor or human resources department.
• Note how the complaint was handled, including whether the employer took reasonable steps to prevent or stop the harassment.
• Obtain medical assistance to deal with the emotional distress associated with the discrimination and harassment.

At Gallenberg PC, our workplace discrimination attorney believes all workers, of all national origins, should be proud of their heritage, and never expected to hide their cultural backgrounds for the sake of their employment.

If you are suffering from discrimination because of your national origin, contact our employment law attorney today to discuss your case during a confidential telephone intake or online case review. We are here to help.

At Gallenberg PC, our national origin workplace discrimination lawyer has offices in Los Angeles, Burbank, and Beverly Hills, so all employees have access to the legal representation they need to pursue results inside and outside the courtroom — no matter where they live or work in California.

Our primary goal is to make legal services accessible to everyone in California, regardless of a person’s ability to pay.

We understand that many individuals cannot afford to pay upfront hourly rates or retainers for an employment or labor attorney. That does not mean they should not have the legal ability to pursue justice after suffering from unlawful national origin discrimination in any California workplace.

Our workplace discrimination attorney in Los Angeles, Burbank, and Beverly Hills takes all eligible cases on a contingency basis, which means if we do not win your case, you do not pay our legal fees.

If you were subjected to workplace discrimination or harassment because of your national origin or perceived national origin in California, contact Gallenberg PC today to discuss your important employment law case with our skilled attorney in Los Angeles at (213) 986-8432, Burbank at (818) 237-5267, or Beverly Hills at (310) 295-1654 to schedule a free intake today.

If you prefer, complete a Free Online Case Review to have your claim screened by our experienced employment law attorney and we will contact you directly to discuss your case.