Age Discrimination

Age Discrimination Attorney in Ventura

Employee-Side Representation for Workers 40 & Older in Ventura County

Age discrimination claims are among the hardest employment cases to prove. Employers rarely cite age openly. Instead, they point to reorganizations, performance concerns, or cost-cutting, and the real reason stays buried in emails, patterns, and comparisons. At Karakalos Law, we represent workers in Ventura County who are 40 or older and believe age played a role in how they were treated at work. We represent employees. We have never represented an employer, and we don’t intend to start.

Aris Karakalos has been a California State Bar member since December 2005 and is a member of both the Ventura County Bar Association and the California Employment Lawyers Association. Over the past decade, our firm has recovered more than $100 million for California employees across discrimination, wrongful termination, and wage claims. That record reflects cases we took seriously enough to fight, not just settle quickly.

If you’ve experienced what you believe is age-based mistreatment at work, we offer complimentary case evaluations by phone or video. Call us at (805) 303-8115 to tell us what happened and learn where your claim stands.

What Age Discrimination Looks Like at Work

Most workers who contact us don’t have a smoking gun. They have a pattern: the younger hire who leapfrogged them, the training they were left out of, the supervisor who kept asking when they planned to retire. Under both federal and California law, that pattern matters.

We handle age discrimination claims involving a wide range of adverse employment actions:

Wrongful termination tied to age, including layoffs structured to push out older workers
Demotion or title changes that reduce authority, pay, or visibility
Denial of promotion in favor of younger, comparably or less qualified candidates
Reduced hours or pay not applied to similarly situated younger employees
Exclusion from training or advancement opportunities that affect career trajectory
Hostile work environment claims based on age-related comments, derogatory nicknames, or systematic exclusion
Forced early retirement or pressure to accept a severance package

Replacing a worker over 40 with someone younger, even someone who is also over 40, may constitute discrimination if age was a motivating factor. Courts look at the full picture, including how younger employees in similar roles were treated. The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) also governs how employers must structure severance agreements and waivers of age discrimination claims, and waivers that don’t meet its requirements aren’t enforceable.

Federal ADEA & California FEHA: What Ventura Workers Are Entitled to

Workers in Ventura County are protected under two separate legal frameworks. The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits age discrimination by employers with 20 or more employees. California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) goes further, covering employers with 5 or more employees and providing protections the ADEA doesn’t match.

FEHA doesn’t cap compensatory or punitive damages. It doesn’t require a worker to prove that age was the sole “but-for” cause of the adverse action, as the ADEA does in mixed-motive cases. And it covers both disparate treatment (intentional discrimination) and disparate impact (facially neutral policies that fall harder on workers 40 and older) without requiring proof of intent in the latter. For most employees in Ventura County, California law is the stronger vehicle for an age discrimination claim, and it’s the framework we build cases around first.

Damages in a California Age Discrimination Case

When an age discrimination claim is successful, the damages may be substantial, particularly for workers later in their careers. A wrongful termination at 55 or 60 doesn’t just mean a few months of lost wages. It can mean years of income at a salary level that comparable roles may not offer a candidate of that age, along with the cost of benefits that become significantly more expensive to replace.

Recoverable damages in California age discrimination cases may include:

Past and future lost wages
Lost benefits such as health and life insurance
Compensation for emotional distress
Attorney fees
Punitive damages where the employer acted with malice or oppression

We evaluate damages carefully at the outset so our clients understand what’s actually at stake before we move forward.

Talk to a Ventura Age Discrimination Lawyer at No Cost

Our attorneys have argued cases before the California Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. We take on large employers and we don’t back down when the other side has more resources. We’ve recovered more than $100 million for California workers over the past decade, and we handle cases on a contingency or hourly basis depending on the situation.

If you work in Ventura County and believe you’ve been passed over, pushed out, or mistreated because of your age, don’t wait to find out whether you have a claim. Deadlines in discrimination cases are strict, and missing them can permanently close your options. Virtual consultations are available statewide. Call Karakalos Law at (805) 303-8115 or use our online contact form to request your complimentary case evaluation.

How We Build an Age Discrimination Case

Age discrimination cases are built almost entirely on circumstantial evidence. Employers rarely put age-based thinking in writing. Our investigation looks at what they did, not just what they said.

What Our Investigation Examines

We examine employer communications, performance records, and personnel decisions to identify patterns. The questions that tend to matter most: Were younger employees in comparable roles treated differently? Was the stated reason for the adverse action applied consistently? Did the employer’s explanation change over time? Were any age-related comments made by decision-makers before or after the adverse action?

Common evidence patterns in age discrimination cases include:

Replacement of a worker 40 or older with a meaningfully younger employee
Layoffs structured in ways that disproportionately affected older workers
Exclusion of older employees from training, high-visibility projects, or mentorship programs
Supervisor comments about retirement, “fresh energy,” or “new direction” proximate to personnel decisions
Reassignment of duties or reduction in responsibilities without a legitimate business rationale

Disparate Impact Claims & Early Documentation

In a disparate impact case, a worker doesn’t need to show intentional discrimination. The claim is that a facially neutral policy, such as a scoring system used in layoffs, fell harder on workers 40 and older and that the employer lacked a legitimate justification. Documentation gathered early, including written communications, performance reviews, and records of how younger colleagues were treated, shapes what a claim can ultimately support.

Filing Deadlines for Age Discrimination Claims in California

Missing a filing deadline in an employment discrimination case doesn’t delay the claim. It ends it. California’s timelines are more generous than the basic federal rules, but they still require prompt action.

CRD & EEOC Deadlines

Under California law, a worker has three years from the date of the discriminatory act to file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). For federal ADEA claims, the deadline is 300 days from the act. That extended window, versus the standard 180-day federal period, applies because California has a worksharing agreement with the EEOC.

That agreement matters practically: a charge filed with the EEOC is automatically dual-filed with the CRD, and vice versa, preserving rights under both state and federal law without filing twice.

What Happens After a Charge Is Filed

After an EEOC charge is filed, the agency notifies the employer and may offer mediation. If the matter isn’t resolved, the EEOC opens a formal investigation. Under the ADEA, a worker may also file in federal court as early as 60 days after the charge is filed without waiting for the EEOC to complete its process. If the EEOC finds no cause, or conciliation fails, it issues a Notice of Right to Sue. Once that notice is received, the worker has 90 days to file in federal court, a deadline that runs whether or not the worker feels ready. We help clients navigate both the EEOC and CRD processes and keep track of both deadlines while their case is being evaluated.

What Sets Us Apart

We Don't Give Up
If we don't get a favorable ruling the first time around, we work hard to appeal cases to ensure we do everything we can for your case.
We Exclusively Represent Employees

We fight on behalf of employees only and are not afraid of going up against the largest corporations in the country, if not the world.
We Think Outside of the Box

Our seasoned team of attorneys come up with innovative solutions unheard of in the past in order to advance their cases in court.
Over $100 Million Recovered
In the last decade, Karakalos Law has recovered over $100 million dollars for employees in California.

Meet Our Team

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226 W. Ojai Ave.
#101-432
Ojai, CA 93023

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