If you need a religious discrimination lawyer in California, Abramson Labor Group represents employees whose employers treated them unfairly because of their faith, their religious dress, or their lack of religion. We handle claims under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), we work on contingency, and our case reviews are free and confidential.
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California makes it unlawful for an employer with five or more employees to refuse to hire you, fire you, or treat you differently in pay or job conditions because of your religious creed. The rule comes from Government Code section 12940(a), and the five-employee threshold comes from the Civil Rights Department (CRD).
The protection is broad. Section 12926(q) defines religious creed to include “all aspects of religious belief, observance, and practice, including religious dress and grooming practices.” According to the CRD, the law also covers the religion someone thinks you have and your association with people of a faith. A state regulation, 2 CCR § 11060(a), also covers job benefits denied because of a “lack of religious creed.”
For a fuller explanation with examples, read our article on religious discrimination at work in California.
In most cases, yes. Under section 12940(l)(1), your employer must explore “any available reasonable alternative means” of accommodating your religious belief or observance. It can refuse only if the accommodation would cause an undue hardship, which section 12926(u) defines as “significant difficulty or expense.”
Two California rules are especially strong. First, a dress or grooming accommodation “is not reasonable if the accommodation requires segregation of the individual from other employees or the public” (§ 12940(l)(2)). So your employer cannot hide you in a back room because of a hijab or turban. Second, your employer cannot retaliate against you for asking, “regardless of whether the request was granted” (§ 12940(l)(4)).
Federal law, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, also bans religious discrimination, but it covers employers with 15 or more employees, according to the EEOC. In Groff v. DeJoy (2023), the U.S. Supreme Court held that an employer refusing an accommodation under Title VII “must show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business.” California claims use the FEHA standard instead.
| California (FEHA) | Federal (Title VII) | |
|---|---|---|
| Employers covered | 5 or more employees, plus all public employers | 15 or more employees |
| Where to file | Civil Rights Department | EEOC |
| General filing deadline | 3 years | 300 days in California |
| Undue hardship test | “Significant difficulty or expense” | “Substantial increased costs” |
Which law fits your case depends on your employer’s size and the facts. We look at both during your case review.
Deadlines are strict. You generally must submit an intake form to the CRD within three years of the date you were last harmed. After the CRD issues a right-to-sue notice, you generally have one year to file a lawsuit (CRD right-to-sue instructions). A federal EEOC charge has a much shorter 300-day deadline in California. These are general rules, not your exact deadline.
Religious discrimination is one of several protected categories. Our overview of workplace discrimination in California covers the others.
We represent employees facing religious discrimination in Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, and across Los Angeles County, and we serve workers throughout the state from our Burbank office. Learn more about our California employment lawyers.
We work on contingency, and you do not pay anything unless we win. Your case evaluation is free. Our fee is a share of any settlement or verdict, and if there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fees.
Possibly. Your employer must explore reasonable alternatives, but the offer itself must be reasonable. A dress or grooming accommodation that segregates you from coworkers or the public does not count (§ 12940(l)(2)).
Yes. You do not have to be fired to have a claim, and section 12940(h) makes it unlawful to punish you for opposing discrimination or filing a complaint.
If your employer treated you unfairly because of your faith, we can review what happened and explain your options. Request your free case evaluation or call us at (213) 493-6300. We work on contingency. You do not pay ANYTHING unless we win!
Last updated: October 2026
This page is general information about California law, not legal advice. Every situation is different. For advice about your specific case, talk to a licensed California employment attorney.
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