Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

A Vacaville police officer, who formerly worked as an Oakland Raiders cheerleader has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the city.

Sexual harassment in Los Angeles, unfortunately, is not uncommon. Despite many laws on the books and wide coverage in the news media about lawsuits and big jury awards, bosses and companies still routinely treat people disrespectfully with sexual innuendos or advances in the workplace.

Even though the job market is tough right now, no one should have to work in an environment where they are subjected to being uncomfortable because they are being harassed. If you are in that situation, speak with an experienced Orange County Sexual Harassment Lawyer immediately.

In Vacaville, which is northeast of the Bay area, the 35-year-old officer said in a federal civil rights lawsuit that she endured jokes and comments about her looks by other officers. She joined the force in 2004 and has been on unpaid leave since 2009, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The comments stem from her former career as an Oakland Raiders cheerleader from 1997 to 2001, according to the lawsuit.

The woman says in the lawsuit that one sergeant once asked a room of colleagues to raise their hands if they wanted to see the plaintiff naked and another officer once told her, "nice rack." A supervisor once allegedly told her not to use the department's gym because of the attention she would draw to herself and someone once altered photos of her and other cheerleaders and post it for all to see.

She was placed on leave after she was charged with 10 felony counts of fraud for allegedly filing workers' compensation claims. Those charges were later dropped and stemmed from injuries sustained in a defensive tactics class. She returned to full duty and then alleges she was still injured. The city wouldn't provide her medical treatment or allow her to return to light-duty status, the lawsuit states.

Retaliation or refusal to pay legitimate medical claims stemming from work injury are unlawful and should not be tolerated.

Sexual harassment can be many different things, but often comes from unwelcome advances, requests for dates or sex, being sent inappropriate sex-based emails at work or being inappropriately touched or ogled.

None of these behaviors are right. Harassment in the workplace should be fought aggressively. A lawsuit is one way to do it, but an experienced Newport Beach Sexual Harassment Lawyer can work with the client and company to stop the behavior without dealing with the difficulty of litigation in some cases. Sometimes, though, that simply won't work and the case must be sent to trial.

Continue reading "Cheerleader-Turned-Cop Sues California City For Sexual Harassment" »

ABC News recently reported about 20 women, former dancers of the downtown Los Angeles Club 907 club, who have filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against their former employer.

Sexual harassment in Los Angeles is, unfortunately, a fairly common thing, as women are subjected to uncomfortable work environments from male bosses and male workers and female bosses. If a worker is forced to endure this type of situation, a Beverly Hills Sexual Harassment Lawyer must be consulted immediately.

According to the news report, Club 907 closed last year. It was one of seven "hostess dancing clubs" where customers paid up to $30 an hour to spend time with a hostess. The women didn't take their clothes off, but spend time talking with and dancing for the paying customers.

A recent lawsuit a group of them filed alleges they were harassed by managers and had their pay illegally withheld. One former dancer alleges she worked a 30-hour week and was paid less than $100 per paycheck. Another hostess allegedly a manager asked her to have sex with him.

Club owners in a statement denied any wrongdoing, saying that documents will prove all dancers were lawfully paid their wages. They said the allegations of sexual harassment are false and were concocted by a former employee who had a falling out with her supervisor.

At this point, the lawsuit has just been filed, but it will be interesting to see what happens with this case. Sexual harassment can be an extremely uncomfortable situation for everyone involved.

Corporations and employers will sometimes strong-arm workers into taking harassment because of the poor economy. No one wants to be out of a job at this time, when well-paying employment is so tough to get. Actually, any employment is tough to get, so having a job is a big deal.

Despite that, no one should be subjected to and have to endure harassment at work. There must be a distinction made between sexual harassment and sexual discrimination, however. Sexual discrimination means that someone gets hired, promoted, demoted or fired based on their gender. Some examples of harassment:

• Getting an unwelcome request for a date or sex.


• Being threatened job loss if they don't perform sex acts.


• Stares, remarks or otherwise uncomfortable sexual-related situations.


• Receiving sex-themed emails or messages.


• Jokes that are offensive or sexually based.


• Touching or sexual assault.

Neither is acceptable, but harassment should be obvious to a victim or even to a co-worker. And reporting this conduct isn't grounds for discrimination, either. Consulting with an Orange County Employment Lawyer is critical if the work environment includes unlawful acts.

Continue reading "Former Dancers File Sexual Harassment Lawsuit in Los Angeles Against Club Owners" »

A Costa Mesa man sat on trial recently as jurors had to determine whether he raped two women in 2008 and 2009 or whether the sex was consensual. After deliberating two days, the jury found the man guilty and he now faces up to 140 years to life in prison, The Orange County Register reports.

The 42-year-old man was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape and, under California law, his sentence has been enhanced because of the allegation that he forcibly raped multiple victims.

The rape of a minor in California is a serious offense and, as revealed by this story, punishable by years or decades in a state prison. That's why hiring an experienced and aggressive Los Angeles Rape Defense Lawyer should be the first step in fighting the charges.

According to the news story, the man allegedly raped a 17-year-old illegal immigrant whom he supervised at a dry cleaning business in Fountain Valley in 2009. Less than a year earlier, the prosecution alleged, he broke into a friend's apartment and raped her.

The man's defense team argued to jurors that the sex with both women was consensual and that a false accusation is like a "scarlet letter" that irreparably harms a person's reputation. Neither woman reported the alleged incidents immediately and the defense argued that they filled in the blanks by lying on the witness stand on trial.

The man was previously convicted of vehicular manslaughter in 1992 and this conviction could count as a second strike of the state's three strikes rule. The judge has the discretion not to sentence him for that strike, but the minimum term he faces is 50 years to life, the newspaper reports.

Sex crimes in Los Angeles and throughout California are among the most complex cases in the criminal justice system. Many consider them to be the most serious aside from murder.

But the public should also keep in mind that not everyone who is arrested is guilty. The police get it wrong. The victims have vendettas they take out on people with false accusations and witnesses make incorrect identifications of people they deem suspects. This isn't a 30-minute TV drama.

In real life, DNA isn't a fool-proof science. How police collected and handled samples, how state or private laboratories examined them should be reviewed. And the results don't come out of a computer with 100 percent certainty after a few quick tests. There is human error and the results are complicated.

Especially in cases where a minor is the alleged victim, they can sometimes be mistaken about who committed the alleged crime or sometimes they have the tendency to make things up. Scared teens who know they shouldn't be sexually active may lie to police and their parents in order to save face. This can lead to arrests and false convictions.

But the good news for these defendants is that there's an experienced Los Angeles Rape Defense Attorney who will stand by their side. Everyone, regardless of the crime, has a right to a fair trial and an aggressive defense. This means attacking all aspects of the state's evidence. It may mean getting evidence thrown out if police obtained it improperly.

Continue reading "Costa Mesa Man Convicted of Raping Two Women" »

A San Bernardino County judge recently increased the bail of a former sheriff's deputy accused of having sex with a teenage Explorer volunteer after he allegedly wrote about "revenge" and "payback" on a Facebook page, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Sex crimes in Los Angeles and throughout California can have serious consequences, such as long prison sentences as well as registry in the state and national sex offender databases, which are viewable to all and can last forever. Hiring an experienced and aggressive Los Angeles Sex Crimes Defense Attorney should the first step for someone being investigated for, or charged with, these serious crimes.

According to the news article, the deputy, who was being held on $150,000 bail, had the bail increased by a judge to $350,000 after prosecutors provided a printout of the deputy's Facebook page with the comment.

The Facebook posting, according to prosecutors, appeared on a page in support of the deputy and was discovered by the alleged victim's father. According to the article, the deputy faces charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and illegal sexual intercourse with a minor. The deputy has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Authorities allege the deputy had sex with the 15-year-old girl, who was a volunteer with the agency's Explorer program -- which is designed to teach teenagers the responsibilities of law enforcement officers. The program teaches young adults about the mission and objectives of law enforcement, leadership opportunities and community service activities, among other things.

This deputy, like anyone charged with a sex crime in Los Angeles and throughout California, faces serious consequences. Along with possible prison time, the deputy faces the possibility of having to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Unlike other charges, where a person can serve time in prison and get out having done their time, a person convicted of a sex offense is punished for life.

Having to register under Megan's Law means having your mug shot, address, tattoos and other information displayed on a web site forever, having to tell law enforcement whenever you're moving and the possible notification of neighbors is another consequence.

It can be humiliating and it is something a person must live with forever. Even murders aren't treated this way. Yet, people convicted of sex crimes are. There are more than 63,000 registered sex offenders in California and failure to register, even if someone legitimately forgets, can result in a new charge.

Under California Penal Code 261.5, a person convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor faces up to four years in prison. Under California Penal Code 288, a lewd and lascivious act is punishable by up to eight years in prison. Prosecutors may also seek enhanced sentences, depending on the facts of the case.

These charges are very serious and require an aggressive defense that includes scrutinizing all evidence, whether it's DNA reports, police investigations or the alleged victim's words. These cases can be beaten when police jump to conclusions and our firm is committed to exploring all aspects of our clients' cases.

Continue reading "Former Deputy's Bail Increased After Facebook Posting in Los Angeles Sex Case" »