Los Angeles Age Discrimination Lawyers

Los Angeles Age Discrimination Lawyers

Age discrimination remains a serious workplace issue in Los Angeles, even with California’s strong employee-protection laws. Many workers over the age of 40 continue to experience unfair treatment based solely on age, including termination, demotion, reduced hours, or being passed over for promotions. Understanding your rights is the first step toward protecting your career and livelihood.

At Heidari Law Group, our Los Angeles age discrimination lawyers assist employees who believe they were treated unfairly because of their age. We focus on helping individuals understand whether their situation may qualify as age discrimination under California and federal law, and what options may be available moving forward.

Understanding Age Discrimination in Los Angeles

Age discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee or job applicant unfavorably because they are 40 years of age or older. In Los Angeles, employees are protected by laws such as the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). These laws apply to many aspects of employment, including hiring decisions, layoffs, job assignments, compensation, and workplace policies.

Unlawful conduct may include patterns of replacing older employees with younger workers, age-based comments tied to employment decisions, or company practices that disproportionately impact older workers without a legitimate business reason. Each situation is different, which is why a careful review of the facts is essential.

How Our Los Angeles Age Discrimination Attorneys Can Help

Our attorneys work with employees to evaluate workplace conduct, employment records, and timelines to determine whether age may have played an improper role in an employer’s decision. We also help clients understand internal complaint options, administrative filing deadlines, and the importance of documentation. Every case is approached with attention to detail and respect for the client’s professional and personal circumstances.

If you believe age discrimination may have affected your employment, speaking with an experienced attorney can help you better understand your rights and potential next steps under California law.

What Is Age Discrimination?

Age discrimination occurs when an employer mistreats employees simply because of their age. The age discrimination protections were established by the Federal 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Civil Rights Act contained a statute that specifically prohibited anybody from discriminating against another based on age.

The Different Types of Age Discrimination in Los Angeles, California

Age discrimination in the workplace can take several forms, and understanding how it happens is an important first step toward protecting your rights. In Los Angeles, California, both state and federal laws prohibit employers from treating workers unfairly because of their age. These unlawful practices generally fall into two categories: direct age discrimination and indirect age discrimination.

Direct Age Discrimination

Direct age discrimination occurs when an employee is treated unfairly solely because of their age. This type of discrimination is often easier to recognize and prove because it involves explicit actions or statements tied directly to age.

For example, an employer may deny promotions, reduce hours, or terminate an employee while making comments about being “too old,” “overqualified,” or “not fitting the company’s younger culture.” In many cases, coworkers may witness this behavior, which can strengthen a claim by providing firsthand accounts of the mistreatment. When age is clearly identified as the reason for adverse employment actions, the evidence tends to be more straightforward.

Indirect Age Discrimination

Indirect age discrimination is often more subtle but can be just as harmful. It occurs when an employer enforces workplace policies or practices that appear neutral on the surface but disproportionately disadvantage older employees.

For instance, a policy that favors only recent graduates, requires unnecessary physical demands, or prioritizes technological skills without offering training may unfairly impact older workers. Even if the policy does not explicitly mention age, it may still be unlawful if it consistently benefits younger employees while placing older workers at a disadvantage. In these cases, a deeper legal analysis is often necessary to show how the policy affects employees in practice.

Age Discrimination Examples in Los Angeles

The most notable examples of age discrimination in Los Angeles include:

• When an employer who is hiring specifically states an age preference in the job listing
• When an employer takes away an employee’s health insurance benefits as the employer ages
• When employers require an employee to retire based on their age
• When an employee is fired because of their age
• When an employee is demoted because of their age
• When an employee receives less pay because of their age

If you have experienced any of these above examples, it is important that you get in touch with an age discrimination attorney in Los Angeles immediately.

Most Common Age Discrimination Examples in Los Angeles

There are a few common age discrimination instances we have seen in Los Angeles. These include:

• When the employer limits an employee’s career advancement simply because of their age. For example, when the employer denies promoting the employee because they are older. An employer cannot decide to hire a younger worker for a higher position simply because of their age.
• An employer cannot decrease the compensation of an employee simply because they are older than 40, or about to retire.
• An employer cannot give derogatory comments while at work.
• An employer cannot force an employee to retire simply because of their age. This is specifically outlawed under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act federal law.

How do you prove age discrimination?

Evidence for age discrimination can be provided in many different forms. Examples include:

• Statistical evidence regarding workplace employees and their positions
• Comparative evidence when comparing different employees and how much they are paid and treated
• Evidence of the actual discriminatory event that occurred

You can use many different types of evidence to prove your age discrimination claim. The more evidence, the better for your case. Our attorneys will work hard to gather all the relevant evidence necessary for your claim. For discrimination claims, it is very important to have strong evidence, or you could risk losing your entire case.

What type of compensation could I receive for my age discrimination claim?

Depending on the circumstances of your age discrimination claim, you could receive a variety of damages, including:

• Front pay and back pay
• Job search expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damage (in rare cases if the Los Angeles Court finds that there was intentional malicious actions by the employer)

California Age Discrimination Laws

The federal government’s age discrimination in Employment Act in 1967 specifically outlaws any age discrimination in the workplace. California also has their own laws that prohibit age discrimination by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. This act provides protection to employees and applicants in the workplace who are over the age of 40 and have experienced age-based discrimination.

How do I file an age discrimination claim?

Before filing an age discrimination claim privately against another party in a civil action, it is important that you file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This is a federal government department that specifically investigates your claims and provides you with the right to sue. Once you have the right to sue, you will be able to file a civil personal lawsuit against the other party.

However, if the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) denies your claim that there was any discrimination, you may still be able to file a private civil action against the at fault party. It is very important to hire an age discrimination attorney to help you through filing your claims with the EEOC, along with pursuing your private civil action claims against your employer. Our employees will work to gather as much evidence as possible that best supports your claim for age discrimination.

Housing Age Discrimination in Los Angeles

If you have been discriminated against by a landlord or a potential landlord, contact our age discrimination attorneys today.

When should I file my age discrimination claim in Los Angeles?

There is a statute of limitations time period that applies to different states in the United States. Each state has a time limit on when a plaintiff, also known as the injured party, can file their case. A case must be filed within the time limit or the employee could risk losing their entire claim and the right to seek compensation. In Los Angeles, age discrimination claims must be filed with the California Department of Fair Employment and housing within one year of the discriminatory incident. That is why we advise everyone to seek immediate legal assistance.