I freelance for small productions. Am I still protected?

Yes. California's FEHA prohibits sexual harassment by employers of any size, which is broader than other FEHA claims that require at least five employees. Whether the production is large or small, you are covered.

The project ended before I said anything. Is it too late?

Not necessarily. A delay in reporting does not automatically end a sexual harassment claim. Many workers wait until an engagement is over or they feel safe to speak, and what matters is whether the conduct occurred and that you act within the applicable deadlines.

What if I am not rehired after complaining?

Retaliation for reporting or opposing sexual harassment is separately unlawful under FEHA. Being dropped from a project, not rehired, demoted, or disciplined after a good-faith complaint can support its own claim, apart from the harassment itself.

How long do I have to file in California?

FEHA cases generally start with a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), and you usually have three years from the last act of harassment to file. Because deadlines vary, it is best to consult an attorney promptly.

What does a consultation cost?

An initial review of your situation is confidential and comes with no obligation. Many California employment matters are handled on contingency, meaning attorney fees are tied to a recovery rather than paid upfront. Terms are explained clearly before any representation.

Burbank Sexual Harassment Lawyer

Burbank workers deserve a workplace where they are judged on their work, not subjected to unwanted sexual conduct. California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) guarantees a workplace free of sexual harassment — whether it appears as a job benefit conditioned on tolerating advances, or a pattern of demeaning behavior that turns the environment hostile. Our employment practice represents Burbank employees across its studios, post-production houses, media companies, and the retail and service businesses that support them, with confidential, respectful guidance available in English and Armenian. If your job no longer feels safe, you deserve clear answers about your rights.

Sexual Harassment matters in Burbank

Sexual harassment in Burbank''s media economy

Burbank is the heart of California''s entertainment-production world — major studios, animation and post-production facilities, broadcast operations, and a deep network of vendors and freelancers who move between them. Much of this work is project-based and crew-driven: short engagements, gatekeepers who control the next gig, and reputations that travel quickly. That structure can give certain individuals outsized power over a worker''s next paycheck, which is precisely where harassment can take root.

California recognizes two forms. Quid pro quo harassment ties a job benefit — a role on the next production, a call-back, a credit, or simply being rehired — to submitting to sexual conduct. A hostile work environment exists when unwelcome conduct is severe or pervasive enough to alter your working conditions, whether through persistent comments, propositions, unwanted touching, or sexual material on set or in the office.

Any employer size, and harassers beyond your boss

A key protection in a freelance-heavy town: FEHA''s ban on sexual harassment applies to employers of any size, broader than other FEHA claims that require five or more employees. Whether you are staff at a large studio or a day-rate crew member for a small production company, you are protected.

The harasser may be a supervisor, a coworker, or a non-employee — a client, a vendor, or talent from another company on the same set. When the employer knew or should have known about the conduct and failed to act, it can be held responsible, regardless of who technically signs your paychecks.

Retaliation and reporting when you are ready

In an industry where the next job depends on relationships, many workers fear that complaining will quietly end their career. California law makes retaliation a separate violation. If you are dropped from a project, not rehired, demoted, or disciplined after a good-faith complaint, that can be its own claim. And reporting late does not end your claim — it is common to wait until a project ends or you feel safe, and the law accounts for that.

Where Burbank cases are filed

Burbank is part of Los Angeles County, so employment lawsuits for Burbank workers are generally filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court system. Most FEHA claims begin with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) before any lawsuit.

If it is safe, keep a dated log of what happened, save any texts or emails, and note coworkers who witnessed the conduct. You do not need a finished file to reach out. A confidential conversation is simply a starting point to understand your rights.

How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with sexual harassment

Mihran M. Ghazaryan handles these matters with discretion and care. He preserves the messages, reports, and witness accounts before they disappear, evaluates both the harassment and any retaliation that followed, and holds the employer to its duty to prevent and stop it. He explains your options plainly — including what reporting and not-yet-reporting mean for your claim — and pursues the full range of relief the law provides.

Types of sexual harassment cases we handle

Quid pro quo harassment

A supervisor tying a raise, promotion, schedule, or continued employment to sexual demands.

Hostile work environment

Severe or pervasive unwelcome conduct — comments, advances, messages, touching — that a reasonable person would find abusive.

Retaliation for reporting

Punishment after you complained about harassment is itself unlawful, and the timing is often strong evidence.

What you may be able to recover

Every sexual harassment case case is different, but California law lets wronged employees pursue several categories of relief. We document each one — pay records, performance reviews, communications — so nothing is left on the table.

Back pay and lost benefits

Wages, commissions, and benefits you lost from the date of the wrongful act — a core remedy in wrongful-termination and discrimination claims.

Front pay

Future earnings you're likely to lose when reinstatement isn't realistic, measured until you can reasonably be expected to find comparable work.

Emotional distress

Compensation for the anxiety, humiliation, and harm to wellbeing that unlawful treatment at work can cause.

Penalties and punitive damages

Statutory penalties for wage violations, and — where an employer acted with malice or oppression — punitive damages meant to deter the conduct.

Attorney's fees and costs

Many California employment statutes shift the employee's reasonable attorney's fees and costs onto an employer that broke the law.

Reinstatement and policy change

Where it fits the case, getting your job back or forcing the employer to correct the practice that harmed you.

How we work

Free, confidential consultation

We listen first and tell you plainly whether you appear to have a claim. The conversation is confidential and there's no fee to have it — and we're careful if you're still employed.

Preserve the record

Offer letters, handbooks, performance reviews, emails and texts, pay stubs, and a dated timeline. The contemporaneous record is what wins an employment case, so we lock it down early.

Administrative exhaustion and the demand

FEHA claims generally require a complaint with the Civil Rights Department and a right-to-sue notice first. We handle that step, then present a documented demand to the employer.

Litigation when necessary

Many matters resolve through negotiation or mediation. When an employer won't be reasonable, we file and prepare the case fully — which is usually what moves the number.

What to do right away

Save harassing messages, emails, and texts — and screenshot anything that might be deleted.

Keep a dated log of incidents and who witnessed them.

Report through your employer's process where safe; their response (or lack of one) matters.

Preserve everything to a personal account.

Talk to a lawyer about your options before signing anything or resigning.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.