West Covina Disability Discrimination Lawyer

When you face a disability, life is already difficult enough. So, when you are treated differently in the workplace because of your disability, you might feel like the entire world is against you. Regardless of your disability, you do not deserve discrimination, and whether you live in Woodside Village or work near Walnut Valley, you have rights. If you or a loved one is being discriminated against for a disability, a West Covina disability discrimination lawyer can help.

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Protect Your Rights With GUZMÁN & TOKAR LLP

At GUZMÁN & TOKAR LLP, we have successfully protected countless individuals across Los Angeles County who have been the target of disability discrimination in the workplace. We pride ourselves on our client-focused legal care and representation and have secured positive results in many cases. While past results cannot guarantee a future outcome, we are here to review your case and do whatever we can to secure the full and fair compensation you deserve.

What Is Disability Discrimination in California?

In Los Angeles County, home to West Covina, around 6.9% of adults under the age of 65 struggle with some kind of disability, and around one in four adults with disabilities face unfair treatment at work, according to one study. Disability discrimination can take many forms and may be subtle, indirect, and hard to prove.

For that reason, it is essential that you have an attorney on your side who can work to protect you and secure the compensation and justice you deserve. In the workplace, disability discrimination can be harmful, both physically and emotionally. The most common forms of disability discrimination include:

• Facing harassment due to your disability, sometimes getting so severe and pervasive that it creates a hostile work environment where it becomes impossible to do your job
• Being fired or demoted simply because of your disability or in retaliation for speaking out against disability discrimination
• Refusing to hire or promote individuals based solely on their disability
• Being denied reasonable accommodations that can allow you to continue doing your job despite your disability
• Facing retaliation because you requested reasonable accommodations or you filed a discrimination complaint with your supervisor or the Human Resources Department

If any of these scenarios sound familiar, it is essential that you call the offices of GUZMÁN & TOKAR LLP today. We are here to listen to your side of the story and protect your rights in whatever way we can.

What Disabilities Are Protected?

In California, disabled workers are protected under FEHA, or the Fair Employment and Housing Act. FEHA works to protect both disabled workers and job applicants and covers a wide range of physical and mental disabilities or conditions. To succeed in your disability discrimination claim, you will need to prove that you suffer from a specific condition or disability. The disabilities covered by the protections of FEHA include the following:

• Mental disabilities. Covered mental disabilities can include bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorders, certain learning disabilities, obsessive-compulsive disorder, certain intellectual or cognitive disabilities, post-traumatic stress disorder, and clinical depression. Nearly 46.1% of California adults report dealing with some form of depression or anxiety.
• Physical disabilities. These physical disabilities can include deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, missing limbs, and chronic or episodic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and HIV/AIDS. To prove a physical disability, you must be able to show that this disability affects your major life activity, a major body system, or that you suffer disfigurement or anatomical loss.
• Medical conditions. In California, a medical condition is any kind of health impairment that is related to a genetic characteristic that has come to be associated with a disease or a recent cancer diagnosis. Even if you are not currently experiencing symptoms, you are still afforded protections under the FEHA when dealing with a supported medical condition.
• Pregnancy. In California, employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on their pregnancy status, even if they are not necessarily disabled by pregnancy.

FAQs

Q: What Evidence Is Needed in a Disability Discrimination Case?

A: In a disability discrimination case, there are several forms of evidence that can be used as proof. Evidence can include documentation of your disability from your healthcare provider, employment records pertaining to the claim, such as poor performance reviews or employment contracts, correspondence between you and your employer regarding your disability, and any witness statements from coworkers who saw the discrimination take place.

Q: How Can an Employment Law Attorney Help Me?

A: In a disability discrimination case, there are several ways in which an employment law attorney can help. We are here to investigate every aspect of your case to uncover the evidence needed to prove your claim. We can also devise a legal strategy tailored to your situation and guide you through the entire process, seeing that your rights are protected.

Q: Can I Be Fired for Having a Disability?

A: No, in California, you cannot simply be fired for having a disability. While California operates as an at-will state, meaning that you can be fired for any reason or no reason at all, you cannot be legally fired for an unlawful reason, such as for being diagnosed with a disability. Such an act would be considered wrongful termination, and you could file a legal claim against your employer.

Q: What Are the Legal Requirements for Employers for Reasonable Accommodations?

A: Employers are legally required to, in good faith, put into motion reasonable accommodations requested by an employee with a disability. The process will require open communication regarding the requested accommodations, negotiations to develop a reasonable arrangement, and the initiation of the reasonable accommodation once the disabled party has submitted supporting medical records.

Hire a Disability Discrimination Lawyer Today

If you believe you or someone you love has been a victim of disability discrimination in West Covina, you need to hire a disability discrimination lawyer as soon as possible. Now is not the time to suffer in silence, and the team at GUZMÁN & TOKAR LLP is here to stand up for you. Let us handle the legalities and stand up for injustice so that you can reclaim fairness in your workplace. Contact us today to learn more and schedule an initial consultation.