San Francisco Sexual Harassment Lawyer

Trusted sexual harassment attorneys with over 30 years of experience fighting for victims in California.

If you have recently experienced sexual harassment, we understand that you may be worried about your job, reputation, and whether anyone will believe you. Our sexual harassment lawyer in San Francisco, CA works exclusively with those who are looking to obtain a sense of justice in what has happened to them. At The Bloom Firm, we handle these cases on a contingency basis, so there are no fees we win for you. If you need assistance, please reach out now to reserve your appointment.

Sexual Harassment Attorney San Francisco, CA

What does a sexual harassment attorney do, and do you need one? If what happened to you affected your job, your pay, your working conditions, or your ability to show up to work without being subjected to conduct you didn’t ask for, you may have a legal claim. A sexual harassment attorney evaluates the specific facts of your situation, identifies what claims apply, and handles the administrative filing requirements, which are mandatory before a civil lawsuit can be filed. If necessary, we take the case to trial if our clients are being offered what they deserve.

Types of Sexual Harassment Cases We Handle in San Francisco

We represent workers in a wide range of situations who may not be sure if what happened to them is actionable, and that is why it helps to talk to someone before deciding if you want to move forward with a claim.

Quid pro quo sexual harassment. A supervisor implies, or says outright, that your job, raise, schedule, or promotion depends on tolerating or participating in sexual conduct. These cases often come down to one person’s word against the other’s story.
Hostile work environment. The conduct doesn’t have to involve a direct proposition. Persistent sexual jokes, unwanted touching, repeated comments about appearance, or explicit images in a shared workspace can all be actionable. particularly when the employer knew and did nothing.
Sexual favoritism. California courts have recognized that when a supervisor extends preferential treatment to an employee based on a sexual relationship, coworkers who are harmed by that dynamic may have a valid claim.
Harassment by third parties. If the harassment came from someone outside your company and your employer was aware of it and failed to act, they can be held responsible.
Retaliation for reporting. This is often the part that turns a complicated case into a strong one. An employee reports conduct to HR, to a manager, even informally, and then gets written up, passed over, reassigned, or let go. Retaliation is a separate legal violation, and it’s also extremely common.
High-profile and entertainment industry cases. Photographers, music producers, TV executives, and film directors are examples of people we have filed suits against. They can even be some of the most recognizable names in their industries on behalf of clients who were told, explicitly or implicitly, that their career depended on their silence.
Remote and digital harassment. Explicit messages may be sent over email, Slack, and text. Or video calls are used to expose or intimidate.

Why Choose The Bloom Firm for Sexual Harassment in San Francisco, CA?

A Firm Built Around This Work

Lisa Bloom founded The Bloom Firm in 2010. She graduated from Yale Law School in 1986, has been licensed in California since 1992, and has spent her entire career on the plaintiff side of civil rights and harassment law. Since 2015, she has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every single year. She’s appeared on CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC as a legal analyst, and spent years as the host of a live legal program on Court TV.

If your case involves someone well-known, such as an executive, a public figure, or someone in entertainment, our sexual harassment lawyer in San Francisco, CA has handled high-profile sexual harassment cases at this level before.

The Results

Across sexual harassment, assault, discrimination, and civil rights cases, The Bloom Firm has recovered millions of dollars for clients. In sexual harassment specifically, a $35,500,000 result, $11,000,000 jury verdict, and $8,400,000 jury verdict. To meet with us and retain our services, there are no upfront fees and we take cases on a contingency basis.

Understanding Sexual Harassment Cases in San Francisco

Claims, Liability, and What You Can Recover

Our team takes workplace sexual harassment claims in San Francisco very seriously. Here are a few aspects of California law that may directly impact your case:

Employer liability for supervisor conduct. In quid pro quo situations, employers are strictly liable, meaning the employer is responsible even if they claim they didn’t know about the supervisor’s actions.
Employer liability for hostile environment. The question is whether the employer knew or should have known about the conduct and what steps, if any, they had taken.
What you can recover. Lost wages and benefits, compensation for emotional distress, and in cases where the employer’s conduct was especially egregious, punitive damages. Attorney’s fees are also recoverable under FEHA in successful cases.
The statute of limitations. In California, you have three years from the date of the harassment to file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.

What Affects Your Case

Not every sexual harassment case is the same, and some facts carry more weight than others. Here are examples of case elements that we consider:

Documentation is important. Texts, emails, voicemails, and written notes are all useful. Courts take contemporaneous documentation seriously.
Internal complaints. Filing a complaint with HR may feel pointless, but it creates a record the employer can’t easily undo, and it supports a retaliation claim if things escalate afterward.
Employment classification. California’s worker classification rules are among the most expansive in the country, but independent contractors still face a different legal framework than employees in certain respects.

How These Cases Move

Every sexual harassment cases is different based on those involved and what happened. But generally, here’s what the process looks like:

Consultation and case review. We look at the facts, identify what claims exist, and give you a direct assessment.
Administrative filing. Before filing a civil lawsuit under FEHA, you must file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department. They issue a Right to Sue letter, which is what opens the door to civil litigation.
Civil complaint. Filed in court once the Right to Sue letter is in hand.
Discovery. Both sides exchange evidence, including emails, texts, HR files, and depositions of witnesses.
Settlement or trial. Many cases resolve before trial, through negotiation or mediation. We don’t push clients toward settlement when the case warrants more, as several of our largest recoveries were jury verdicts.

What to Bring to Your First Meeting

Don’t worry about having everything organized, but here are examples of useful information to bring with you if you have it for your consultation:

Any written communications, including texts, emails, messages through whatever platform your workplace uses.
Notes about what happened, even informal ones.
Performance reviews, disciplinary records, anything documenting changes to your employment after you reported the conduct.
Contact information for any witnesses.
Your offer letter, employment agreement, or any relevant company policy documents.

California Legal Resources for Sexual Harassment

California workers have access to several agencies and resources when navigating a harassment claim:

California Government Code § 12940(j): Defines sexual harassment as an unlawful employment practice under FEHA, covering both quid pro quo harassment and hostile work environment claims.
California Government Code § 12940(k): Requires employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment before it occurs. An employer’s failure to implement policies, conduct training, or respond to complaints is independently actionable under this section.
California Government Code § 12923: Legislative findings establishing that a single severe incident of sexual harassment can be sufficient to create a hostile work environment, rejecting any requirement that harassment be repeated or ongoing to be actionable.

California’s three-year statute of limitations applies to FEHA harassment claims from the date of the last act. Employers are subject to a negligence standard, liability attaches when they knew or should have known and failed to act reasonably. Both economic and non-economic damages are available, and punitive damages may apply when conduct rises to the level of malice or oppression.

Reach Out to The Bloom Firm to Schedule a Consultation

If you’ve been sexually harassed at work in San Francisco, contact us as soon as possible. Our initial consultations are free and we work on contingency, which means there are no fees unless we recover money for you. We’ll review what happened and tell you what we think can be done next. Contact us to get started.