He Knew Where I Parked
“He knew where I parked. He knew when my shift ended. He knew where my kids went to school.”
That is not a stranger. That is a coworker.
By the time most people start describing a pattern like that out loud, they have already spent weeks convincing themselves it is probably nothing. The texts felt random. The photos felt like a coincidence. The showing up outside somewhere you never mentioned online felt like something you must be imagining.
You were not imagining it.
What they call it: a pattern of unwanted contact, surveillance, or intimidation that would make a reasonable person fear for their safety.
What it actually means: your employer has a tool most employees have never heard of.
Under California Code of Civil Procedure § 527.8, an employer can petition a court for a workplace violence restraining order to protect an employee from exactly this kind of conduct, whether it comes from a coworker, a supervisor, or someone outside the company entirely. California courts have confirmed the standard reaches a reasonable probability of continued harassment, not just an actual threat of physical violence, and that an employer’s right to seek this kind of order on an employee’s behalf cannot be signed away.
Most employees never ask for this. Most employers never offer it. That gap is not because the law does not apply to your situation. It is because almost nobody knows to ask.
Don’t wait for it to escalate before you say the word out loud. Naming the pattern is what makes the tool available in the first place.
Contact Michael Trust Law, APC for a no-charge initial consultation. The facts determine whether you have a claim, and how much of a conversation that takes.
This post shares general information based on common patterns I see in California workplaces. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and outcomes depend on specific facts, no lawyer can guarantee a result. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. AI may have been used to create this post. All content reviewed by a CA attorney before publication.