It prohibits employment discrimination based on race or color; religion; national origin or ancestry, physical disability; mental disability or medical condition; marital status; sex or sexual orientation; age, with respect to persons over the age of 40; and pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
[3] The FEHA [4] offers protections that are similar and often more potent that those available under federal counterparts, like Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
[5][6] These protections include, but are not limited to, attorney fee awards and reimbursement of certain case related expenses to prevailing plaintiffs.
[8] California law and the FEHA also allow for the imposition of punitive damages[9][10] when a corporate defendant's officers, directors or managing agents engage in harassment, discrimination, or retaliation, or when such persons approve or consciously disregard prohibited conduct by lower-level employees in violation of the rights or safety of the plaintiff or others.
[12][13][14] Whether seeking an investigation under FEHA or a suit in court, the process usually begins with the victim filing a complaint[15] of discrimination with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.