Prohibited Employment Practices The Fair Employment and Housing Act specifies: * Prohibits discrimination in all aspects of employment including hiring, termination and terms and conditions. * Prohibits harassment of employees or applicants and requires employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment from occurring. * Requires that all employers provide information to each of their employees describing the forms of sexual harassment, its illegality, the internal and external complaint processes and legal remedies. * Requires employers to reasonably accommodate employees or job applicants with disabilities in order to enable them to perform the essential functions of the job. * Requires employers to provide leaves of up to four months to employees disabled because of pregnancy or childbirth. * Requires an employer to provide reasonable accommodations requested by an employee, with the advice of her health care provider, related to her pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. * Requires employers of 50 or more persons in a 75 mile radius to allow eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks leave in a 12-month period for the birth of a child, the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, for an employee's own serious health condition, or to care for a parent, spouse, or child with a serious health condition. (Employers are required to post a notice informing employees of their family and medical leave rights.) * Requires employment agencies to serve all applicants equally; to refuse discriminatory job orders; to refrain from prohibited pre-employment inquiries or advertising. * Prohibits discrimination by unions in membership or employment referrals. * Prohibits retaliation against any person who has filed a complaint with the Department, participated in a Department investigation or opposed any activity prohibited by the Act. The law provides for a variety of remedies, which may include: * Hiring * Back Pay * Promotion * Reinstatement * Cease and Desist Orders * Damages for Emotional Distress * Reasonable Attorneys Fees and Costs * Expert Witness Fees * Administrative Fines and Court Ordered Punitive Damages Persons who believe they have experienced employment discrimination may file a DFEH complaint. Complaints must be filed within one year from the date of the alleged discrimination. Persons wishing to file a lawsuit directly in court must obtain a "right-to-sue" from DFEH. For information on this process, call The Law Office of Steven Kesten: 415-457-2668.