All of the information provided at this web site is provided as general information, not as legal advice. The information is not provided to serve as unsolicited legal advice, nor as a suggestion of a need for legal services.
Practice Areas
Under California law, if an employer discharges or fires an employee in a manner that violates their legal rights, it may constitute “wrongful termination.” California has adopted the legal concept of “employment at will,” which means that when there is no employment contract or legal entitlement (such as a right derived through a union contract), either employees or employers have the right to terminate the relationship for any reason BUT the employer may not terminate the employer-employee relationship for discriminatory, harassing, or retaliatory reasons.
In other words, even though California is an “at will” employment state, if it can be proven that an employer illegally terminated an employee, their attorney can file a claim or lawsuit for wrongful termination on their behalf. An experienced employment law attorney may obtain or recover:
- Lost wages;
- Emotional damages;
- Injunctive relief;
- Punitive damages;
- Potential for Reinstatement of benefits and position; as well as
- Attorney’s fees and court costs
Both California and Federal laws define sexual harassment as unwanted sexual conduct of two main types: (1) quid pro quo harassment, and (2) hostile environment harassment. Generally, sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual relations or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Quid pro quo sexual harassment occurs when an employer, or an employer’s agent, implicitly or explicitly attempts to make submission to sexual demands a condition of employment. Thus, an employee may perceive that he or she must tolerate sexual advances or engage in a sexual relationship in order to continue employment, to achieve advancement, or to avoid adverse employment consequences such as poor evaluations or demotions. Similarly, it is unlawful for an employer or an employer’s agent to condition favorable treatment such as promotions, salary increases, or preferred assignments, on an employee’s acceptance of sexual advances or relations, such as a supervisor saying “If you want to keep your job, you’d better have sex with me”.
When a person is injured through the fault of another, they need an experienced professional in their corner to fight for them and ensure that they are justly compensated. We are there for you to do this.
Our personal injury practice deals with seeking compensation for personal injuries resulting from automobile accidents, slip and falls, assault and numerous other cases. We negotiate settlements and prepare and litigate personal injury matters in federal and state courts.
We are sensitive to the economic and personal stress which often accompany a serious injury. Our individual concern for our clients coupled with our resolute pursuit of each client’s rights, we believe, are the key to effective representation.
Housing discrimination is a vexing and pervasive problem in California and, indeed, nationwide.
It is also severely under-reported. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that more than two million instances of housing discrimination occur each year, but fewer than one percent are reported. Many people are unaware that they have been victims of housing discrimination. A recent study by HUD suggests that many renters and home buyers do not fully understand which activities are illegal under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA).
The California Legislature has declared that the opportunity to seek, obtain and hold housing without unlawful discrimination is a civil right.
As such, a landlord cannot refuse to rent to a tenant, or engage in any other type of discrimination, on the basis of group characteristics specified by law that are not closely related to the landlord’s business needs. Disability, race, and religion are examples of group characteristics specified by law. Arbitrary discrimination on the basis of any personal characteristic such as those listed under this heading also is prohibited.
Individuals with disabilities have the basic right to expect reasonable accommodations that allow them access to housing. Housing discrimination is a painful, stubborn reality for people with different forms of disability in the United States. Indeed, disability discrimination is the top form of housing discrimination. Federal and state laws make it illegal to discriminate in housing on the basis of disability.
WHO HAS A DISABILITY/HANDICAP?
A person with a physical and/or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. “Major life activities” include walking, hearing, social interaction, seeing, breathing, self-care, learning, or speaking. Examples of a “disability” are blindness, hearing impairments, mobility impairments, mental retardation, or mental illness.
If you are one of the many California property owners facing foreclosure, you may feel there is no hope for keeping your home. Do not give in to this hopelessness, as there may be help available to you. At the Law Offices of Odion Leslie Okojie, we have extensive experience representing borrowers in loan modification negotiations including, but not limited to:
All types of Loan/Property Modifications
Government Supported Investors (GSE) Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)
Non-GSE HAMP
If you are struggling to keep up with your house payments, we will work with your lender to get a fair deal.
If your bank refuses to help you, we will provide the aggressive legal representation you need. Call us at 818 935 6163, 213-626-4100 or contact us online to schedule a free phone consultation.
FRAUD occurs when a person knowingly or intentionally conceals, misrepresents, and makes a false statement to either deny or obtain some monetary benefit, or otherwise profit from the victim. The key to conviction is proving in court that the suspect knowingly or intentionally made the misrepresentation or concealment.
What is Real Estate Fraud? It can be many things, but for the most part, Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud is committed when someone like a seller of the home or the real estate agents conceal or fail to disclose facts about the house which if the buyer had known, the buyer would not have bought the house. Real Estate Fraud is also committed if the seller, Realtor, or builder makes a false representation of material facts about the house that was intended to induce you into making the contract. In other words, you were duped into agreeing to the deal because the seller or real estate agent made a false representation of an important fact. Real Estate Fraud can be committed by the home seller, the realtors involved in the transaction or a builder. California laws and specific statutes address issues of Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud.
