California Wrongful Termination Attorney

 

Losing your job can be overwhelming, especially when you suspect your employer did not fire you for a legitimate reason. In California, employers generally have broad discretion in at-will employment relationships, but they still cannot terminate an employee for an unlawful reason. Employees may have claims when they are fired because they complained about unlawful conduct, reported discrimination or harassment, requested medical leave or disability accommodations, refused to participate in illegal activity, or exercised other protected rights under California law.

 

At Stroman Employment Law, we represent California employees who were wrongfully terminated, retaliated against, or pushed out of their jobs after standing up for themselves. Our firm focuses on helping workers understand whether their firing was legal, what claims may be available, and what damages may be recovered. Wrongful termination cases often involve more than the termination itself. They may also include unpaid wages, missed meal and rest periods, failure to accommodate a disability, failure to engage in the interactive process, harassment, discrimination, or whistleblower retaliation.

 

What Is Wrongful Termination?

 

Wrongful termination occurs when an employer fires, lays off, forces out, or constructively discharges an employee for an unlawful reason. An employer may try to justify the termination by claiming it was based on “performance,” “attendance,” “restructuring,” or a “policy violation,” but those reasons may be pretextual if the real reason was illegal.

 

A termination may be unlawful when it is connected to:

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• Reporting discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage theft, or unsafe working conditions

• Requesting a reasonable accommodation for a disability

• Taking or requesting protected medical, family, or pregnancy-related leave

• Complaining about unpaid wages, missed meal breaks, missed rest breaks, or inaccurate wage statements

• Refusing to engage in unlawful conduct

• Reporting violations of law to management, human resources, or a government agency

• Opposing workplace practices the employee reasonably believed were unlawful

• Being targeted because of a protected characteristic, such as disability, medical condition, pregnancy, age, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, or another protected status

 

California law protects employees from retaliation for exercising workplace rights, including reporting unlawful conduct and opposing discrimination, harassment, or other illegal activity. 

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Common Examples of Wrongful Termination

 

Wrongful termination can happen in many different ways. Common examples include:

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• An employee is fired shortly after complaining about harassment or discrimination

• An employee is terminated after reporting unpaid wages or missed breaks

• An employer fires an employee after they request medical leave or disability accommodations

• An employee is written up or terminated after reporting safety concerns

• An employer claims the termination was for “performance” even though the employee had no prior discipline

• An employee is laid off while others outside the protected category keep their jobs

• An employer forces an employee to resign by making working conditions intolerable

 

Many wrongful termination cases turn on timing, inconsistent explanations, unequal treatment, sudden discipline, shifting reasons for termination, or evidence that the employer’s stated reason is not credible.

 

Retaliation and Wrongful Termination

 

Retaliation is one of the most common reasons employees are wrongfully terminated. California employees have the right to complain about unlawful workplace practices without being punished for doing so.

 

Protected complaints may include reports about:

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• Wage theft or unpaid overtime

• Missed meal and rest breaks

• Discrimination or harassment

• Disability accommodation issues

• Unsafe working conditions

• Illegal business practices

• Requests for protected leave

• Violations of California labor or employment laws

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Discrimination-Based Termination

 

An employer may not fire an employee because of a protected characteristic. Wrongful termination may occur when an employee is fired because of their disability, medical condition, pregnancy, age, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, or other legally protected status.

Employers also may not terminate employees because they complained about discrimination, supported a coworker’s complaint, participated in an investigation, or requested workplace accommodations.

 

Constructive Termination

 

Wrongful termination does not always involve a formal firing. In some cases, an employer may make working conditions so intolerable that an employee has no reasonable choice but to resign. This is known as constructive termination or constructive discharge.

Examples may include severe retaliation, ongoing harassment, unsafe working conditions, demotions, reduced hours, exclusion from work, or other conduct designed to force the employee out.

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What Compensation May Be Available?

 

Employees who are wrongfully terminated may be entitled to recover damages, including:

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• Lost wages and benefits

• Future lost income

• Emotional distress damages

• Penalties, where available

• Attorneys’ fees and costs, depending on the claims

• Punitive damages in appropriate cases

 

The value of a wrongful termination case depends on the facts, the strength of the evidence, the employee’s losses, and the employer’s conduct.  That is why it so important to speak with someone who can help you evaluate whether you have a claim.

 

Why Choose Stroman Employment Law?

 

At Stroman Employment Law, employees work directly with Cody Stroman, an experienced California employment attorney. Before representing employees, Cody represented employers at major national law firms. That background gives him insight into how companies defend employment claims, evaluate risk, and attempt to justify termination decisions.

 

Today, Cody uses that experience to represent California workers who have been fired, retaliated against, or mistreated in violation of the law.

 

Employees choose Stroman Employment Law because the firm offers:

• Direct attorney communication

• Strategic case evaluation

• Experience with both employee and employer-side litigation

• Clear guidance through a stressful process

• Strong advocacy for California workers

• A focused commitment to employment law

 

Speak With a California Wrongful Termination Attorney

 

If you were fired after complaining about unlawful conduct, requesting accommodations, taking protected leave, reporting wage violations, or standing up for your rights at work, you may have a wrongful termination claim.

 

Contact Stroman Employment Law today for a free consultation with Cody Stroman, a California employment lawyer representing employees in San Francisco, the Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and throughout California.

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