Have you or a loved one faced extensive workplace discrimination due to marital status? If this describes what you’re facing, you may be eligible to bring a lawsuit in a California court of law.

At Aegis Law, we’re Orange County’s preferred marital status discrimination lawyers. We’ve fought for workers’ rights since 2003, winning settlements and jury verdicts in the millions.

So, if you’re ready to work with the firm with nearly a 5-star rating on Google, reach out to our team by calling (949) 822-9220 or booking a free, no-obligation case review online. In our marital status discrimination case review process, we’ll examine the finer details of your case, explore actions you can take, and give you our best recommendations for your next steps.

Try working with us risk-free today – we never collect anything in fees unless we successfully conclude your case.

Orange County Marital Status Discrimination Lawyer

Why Select Aegis Law For Your Marital Discrimination Case

If you’re losing hope about being able to collect the compensation owed to you, an Aegis Law Orange County employment lawyer is here for you. Here’s why we’re Orange County’s pick for workplace marital discrimination cases.

We’re trial-proven and experienced in navigating the intricacies of California’s employment codes and statutes.
We know the exact tactics a company’s legal council will use to claim you don’t have a valid marital status discrimination case.
We have won over $1 billion in settlements and jury verdicts over the course of our firm’s history, with over a 99% case success rate.
We don’t charge workplace discrimination victims fees unless we win.

Marital Status As A Protected Class In California

A protected class (also called protected characteristics by the Civil Rights Department in California) is defined as “a category of individuals who have legal protection against discrimination or retaliation.”

In California, marital status is a protected class, despite it not being a federally protected class.

California’s Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 2, § 11053 defines marital status as “an individual’s state of marriage, non-marriage, divorce or dissolution, separation, widowhood, annulment, or other marital state.” By this definition, marital status also includes single individuals.

Ways Marital Status Discrimination Can Occur In California

Here’s an explanation of how California employees cannot act towards an employee based on their marital status, dictated by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA):

California employers cannot discriminate against or terminate employees just for having a particular marital status. As explained above, marital statuses include single, married, widowed, and divorced.
California employers cannot refuse to hire employees or train them for employment based solely on marital status.
California employers cannot change an employee’s compensation offered to an employee or refuse promotion based on marital status.
California employers cannot change an individual’s benefits based on marital status.
California employers cannot afford some workers flexibility due to their marital status while not allowing the same flexibility for others of a different marital status.
California employers cannot engage in harassment or allow employees to harass coworkers due to their marital status.
California employers cannot discriminate against or terminate employees for being married to their spouse who also works in their department. While California employers can “reasonably regulate, for reasons of supervision, safety, security, or morale, the working of spouses in the same department, division, or facility,” according to Cal. Gov. Code § 12940(a), spouses cannot be terminated simply because they are married to each other and are working on the same team.
California employers cannot discriminate against or terminate employees out of discrimination for their spouses. For instance, an employer firing someone who is in a same-sex marriage or based on their spouse’s racial or ethnic background.

FEHA governs employers with five or more employees and applies to public and private employers.

Can I Experience Wrongful Termination Because Of My Marital Status?

Yes, your employer may illegally terminate you based on your marital status; this would give you a wrongful termination case based on your marital status as a protected class.

How Does California’s Status As An “At-Will” Employment State Affect Termination Lawsuits Based on Marital Status?

Some may claim that California’s “at-will” employment laws affect termination based on discrimination; it does not. These are exceptions to California’s “at-will” employment that seek to protect employees against wrongful termination.

Despite California’s “at-will” employment laws, employers are never allowed to terminate employees based on any protected classes, like marital status.

How Long Do I Have To File A Workplace Discrimination Case In California?

In California, the statute of limitations governing workplace discrimination cases is generally three years for all FEHA-governed cases, as dictated by the Stop Harassment and Reporting Extension (SHARE) Act. The act also states the statute of limitations starts when the intake form was filed with the labor commissioner.

While this may seem like a long time, marital workplace discrimination victims should never delay in working on their case.

What Do I Do If I Believe I’ve Been Discriminated Against Due To My Marital Status?

First, contact a trusted workplace discrimination lawyer like those at Aegis Law. A good attorney can help you keep track of documentation and evidence and handle the intricacies of bringing your case.

After contacting a lawyer, the Civil Rights Department (CRD) of California will abide by the following steps:

Victim files an intake form
CRD will begin its investigation if it deems it has jurisdiction
After investigating, the CRD will either bring a case or demand a settlement on behalf of the victim, or the victim may choose to close the case and bring in an outside legal counsel.

What Can My California Marital Status Discrimination Case Help Pay For?

If your case is successfully concluded, compensation recovered can offset the damages you experienced, such as:

Lost Wages
Out-of-Pocket Costs
Reinstatement or Promotion
Attorney Fees and Court Costs
Pain and Suffering

So, if you’re the victim of marital workplace discrimination in Orange County, the lawyers at Aegis Law want to help. Call us at (949) 822-9220 to get started or book your free case review online today!