Toni Jaramilla 

With an impressive track record spanning more than 26 years, attorney Toni J. Jaramilla has established herself as a champion for workers’ rights.

Representing individuals against both private and public employers, Jaramilla has been at the forefront of various cases, fighting against discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, Fair Pay Act violations, wrongful termination and unpaid wages. As a natural expansion of her employment civil rights practice, she also represents victims of police excessive force.

Jaramilla is currently representing an African-American woman against a popular high-end restaurant chain for race discrimination under the CROWN Act. Siler v. Joey Restaurant, Inc. et al. 22STCV29339, (L.A. Super., filed Mar. 22, 2021).

The Siler lawsuit is one of the few noted cases that allege race-based claims of “hair discrimination” in employment after the CROWN Act was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 3, 2019.

Jaramilla claims that workplaces often have dress codes and grooming policies that prohibit natural or protective hairstyles such as Afros, locs, and braids, unfairly claiming that such looks are unprofessional. These types of policies are discriminatory and used unlawfully to justify the termination of Black employees and the removal of Black children from schools. The CROWN Act changed that.

As for Siler, she alleges that she had to wear her textured curly hair in an unnatural straight style to meet grooming and appearance policies known as the ‘Joey Look’.

“Basically, she had to look White,” Jaramilla said. “She had to conform to Eurocentric beauty and professional standards.”

Jaramilla will also be filing a multi-plaintiff case against a California casino for age discrimination. The lawsuit will allege that when the casino re-opened after the COVID-19 stay at home orders were lifted, the positions that her 52 clients held for 15-30 years, were replaced with younger employees, some of whom were recruited from outside the casino. In rejecting her clients’ non rehire, the casino claimed that they were unqualified or that there were no positions available.

“Not only were my clients qualified, they each had decades of experience and had dedicated their entire adult working career at the casino,” she said. “Claiming that they were unqualified and inexperienced is laughable and just an excuse to deny them employment in violation of our age discrimination laws.”

Jaramilla is the current Chair of the California Lawyers Association’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. Through her committee, California is leading the way in establishing robust cultural and gender diversity and inclusion policies in educational programming and leadership appointments in CLA. CLA is comprised of California-licensed attorneys from all practice areas.

—Douglas Saunders