Los Angeles Age Discrimination Lawyers

In Los Angeles, employees are protected from age discrimination under both federal and state laws. The primary federal law is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age.

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) provides similar protections and applies to employers with five or more employees, offering broader coverage than federal law.

Age discrimination often appears subtly, such as being passed over for promotions, excluded from training, or targeted during layoffs. In other cases, it may involve explicit age-based comments or assumptions about an employee’s ability, adaptability, or retirement plans. 

At Matern Law Group, our attorneys help Los Angeles employees determine whether workplace decisions were lawful or improperly influenced by age-related bias.

Contact us by calling 310-987-4226 or submitting the form below to request a free case evaluation.

Key Rights and Protections Under FEHA

• Hiring and Firing: Employers cannot make hiring or firing decisions based on an employee’s age. For example, an employer cannot refuse to hire someone because they think the person is too old to fit into the company’s “young” culture, nor can they fire older employees simply to replace them with younger, less expensive labor.
• Promotions and Job Assignments: Employees are protected against discrimination in promotions and job assignments. This means an employer cannot deny an older employee a promotion due to age or assign them to less desirable tasks based on the assumption that they may retire soon.
• Compensation and Benefits: Employers must not reduce a person’s salary or benefits because of their age. For instance, an employer cannot choose to pay older employees less than younger employees doing the same job under the assumption that older employees need less money or are less productive.
• Training and Development: Older employees must have equal access to training and professional development opportunities. Employers are not allowed to exclude older employees from training programs on the basis that they may not stay with the company long enough to justify the investment.
• Harassment: Age-based harassment is illegal. This can include offensive or derogatory remarks about a person’s age. While offhand comments or isolated incidents may not rise to the level of illegality, frequent or severe harassment creating a hostile work environment is prohibited.
• Retaliation: Employees are also protected from retaliation if they complain about age discrimination, file a charge, or participate in an investigation or lawsuit involving age discrimination.

These protections apply throughout your employment lifecycle and are designed to ensure experience and age are not used unfairly against you. Employers may not rely on stereotypes about productivity, technology use, or longevity when making employment decisions. 

Filing a Complaint and Legal Remedies

In cases of suspected discrimination, Los Angeles employees may file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (“CRD,” formerly the Department of Fair Employment and Housing) or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). These agencies can investigate claims and pursue corrective action.

Available remedies may include back pay, reinstatement, policy changes, and compensation for emotional distress. Because strict deadlines apply, acting promptly is essential to preserving your claim. 

Working with experienced employment lawyers can help ensure your complaint is properly evaluated, documented, and filed on time.