Wrongful Termination
Your employer can choose to part ways, but they can never choose to break the law. Under Labor Code § 2922, employment is "at-will," but your employer still can't fire you for discrimination, retaliation, taking protected leave, or refusing to break the law. If they did, you may be owed far more than a final paycheck.
The insider truth about
how these firings actually happen.
Companies spend a lot of time packaging an exit to look routine, assuming you won’t question it. But you have rights they cannot script away. From the executive suite to the front lines, the law draws a sharp line against wrongful termination—and that is exactly where we step in.
Before I represented employees, I sat on the other side. I led HR teams and trained in employment defense, which means I know what a company does in the weeks before—and after—it fires someone it’s worried about.
Here’s what most people don’t realize: by the time you’re let go, there’s often already a paper trail built to justify it. A sudden “performance improvement plan” after years of good reviews. A documented “policy violation” that no one else gets written up for. A reorganization that happens to eliminate exactly one position—yours—right after you complained.
None of that is bad luck. It’s a playbook. The good news is that the same playbook leaves fingerprints, and knowing where to look for them is most of the fight. That’s the advantage we bring to your case.
Does this sound like your workplace?
If what you see here reflects your experience—or something at work simply feels wrong—trust that feeling. It's often the beginning of a case.
You reported harassment, discrimination, unpaid wages, or something unsafe—and not long after, you were "let go for performance." When discipline lands right after you spoke up, the timing itself can be the case. California protects employees who raise good-faith concerns, no matter how the firing is dressed up.
If management deliberately creates a toxic, hostile, or intolerable environment to pressure you into resigning, the law treats it exactly like a firing. You didn’t choose to walk away—you were forced out, and the company remains responsible.
Your race, gender, age, disability, religion, pregnancy, or who you love had nothing to do with your work—but everything to do with your firing. California's protections go further than federal law and reach employers with as few as five employees, so smaller companies don't get a pass.
You took medical leave, family leave, or time for a pregnancy—leave the law says is yours—and came back to find your job "restructured" or gone. When a firing lands during protected leave or right after you return, the law is skeptical, and so are we.
If you report regulatory violations, fraud, or illegal activity—whether internally to HR or to an outside government agency—you are shielded. California whistleblower laws carry some of the heaviest financial and legal penalties for companies that attempt to silence exposure.
People assume a wrongful firing gets you your final paycheck and little else. In California, a real claim can be worth far more—because the law is built to make you whole, not just even.
Back pay
Front pay
Emotional distress
Punitive damages
Your legal fees
You don't pay unless we win
Straight answers—no legalese, no runaround.
Generally, yes. California is an "at-will" state, so your employer can usually fire you without giving any reason at all (Labor Code § 2922). What they can't do is fire you for an illegal reason: discrimination, retaliation for a complaint, or taking protected leave. So the real question isn't whether they had a reason — it's whether the true reason was one the law forbids.
Look at the timing. Most wrongful firings aren't announced—they're disguised, so the clearest sign is what happened right before you were let go. If you were fired soon after reporting harassment, requesting leave or an accommodation, disclosing a pregnancy, or raising a legal concern, and the stated reason doesn't match your track record, the sequence itself may be your evidence. A short case review can usually tell you whether the pieces line up.
Generally, no. Firing you for a good-faith complaint is illegal retaliation under California law (Labor Code § 1102.5 and the Fair Employment and Housing Act). This protects complaints about discrimination, harassment, unpaid wages, or unsafe conditions. If your firing came shortly after you spoke up, that timing can be powerful evidence, though the outcome still depends on the specific facts.
It depends on the type of claim, and the deadlines are strict. Discrimination and retaliation claims under FEHA generally give you three years to file with California's Civil Rights Department; public-policy wrongful discharge claims are often two years from the firing; written-contract claims can run up to four years. Because missing a deadline can end even a strong case, the safest move is to talk to a lawyer early rather than wait.
There's no fixed number—it depends on your lost income, how long you're out of work, the emotional harm, and how badly the employer behaved. A real claim can include back pay, front pay, emotional distress, and sometimes punitive damages and your attorney's fees, which is why these cases are often worth far more than a final paycheck. A case review can give you a realistic range for your situation.
Usually not because of the leave itself. If you're eligible under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) or the federal FMLA, your job is generally protected for up to 12 weeks, and being fired during leave or shortly after you return can raise a legal presumption that the leave was the real reason. Employers can still make genuine business decisions — but that timing invites serious scrutiny.
Save everything and speak to a lawyer. Keep your offer letter, reviews, e-mails, texts, the employee handbook, and any documents about the firing, and write down the sequence of events while it's fresh. Don't sign a severance agreement before someone reviews it—you may be giving up more than you realize. Then get a case reviewed quickly, because the filing deadlines start running the day you're let go.
Very possibly, yes. "At-will" means your employer doesn't need a good reason—it does not mean they can fire you for an illegal one. Most people with valid wrongful termination claims are at-will employees. The only question that matters is whether the real reason your employer acted was unlawful.
Sometimes, yes. California law calls this "constructive discharge." If your employer made conditions so intolerable that a reasonable person would feel they had no choice but to resign, the law can treat that resignation as a firing, and the company stays responsible. These cases turn heavily on the specific facts, so it's worth having yours reviewed before you assume quitting cost you your rights.
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Every client. Every case.
No fee unless we win
Your fight becomes ours.
Here for you. Always.
