Casmalia is an unincorporated town in Santa Barbara County, California located just outside the borders of Vandenberg Air Force Base about 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Santa Maria. Approximately 200 people live in and near Casmalia. The ZIP Code is 93429, and the community is inside area code 805. The town was the site of a hazardous waste landfill that began operating in 1973 and accepted toxic chemicals like PCBs, motor oil, and pesticides. In 1989, the facility was closed down following a number of permit violations. In 1992, it was taken over by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which began the process of cleaning up and administering the site. The soil and groundwater at the site were found to be significantly contaminated and the former dump became a Superfund site. During its operation, 4.5 billion pounds of hazardous waste from up to 10,000 individuals, businesses and government agencies were buried at the site.

What is sexual harassment law?

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an employment, unreasonably interferes with an work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Lawyers who handle sexual harassment cases represent individuals -- usually employees or students -- who have been victimized by unwanted verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, or subjected to sexually offensive behavior that creates an unfavorable environment. Sexual harassment attorneys may also represent employers, school districts, and businesses that are named defendants in sexual harassment lawsuits.

Answers to sexual harassment law issues in California

In certain kinds of cases, lawyers charge what is called a contingency fee. Instead of billing by the hour, the...