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Wrongful Discharge
California Employment Law Attorney Fighting for Ordinary People
California is an at-will employment state, but that does not mean that employers can do whatever they like. If you were let go for an illegal and unjust reason, you can hire a wrongful termination lawyer who will try to obtain compensation for your damages, including lost wages, emotional stress, pain and suffering, etc.
Employment law attorney Michael E. Adams can speak with you in a free phone consultation, discuss your situation, and let you know whether your case might qualify as wrongful termination. His law offices are in Redwood City, and he serves clients throughout the California Bay Area, including San Jose, Fremont, and Hayward. Contact us.
Wrongful Termination and the Law
A large majority of private employers in California enjoy at-will employment, which means that employees can be discharged by the employer for almost any reason or no reason at all. But there are exceptions to that, such as:
- You cannot be fired because of your sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. If you are in a protected category, such as women or racial and ethnic minorities, you are protected under civil rights statutes.
- If you are a whistleblower, you cannot be fired as retaliation for bringing company misdeeds to light.
- You cannot be fired because you refuse to do illegal things as part of a job.
- If you got informal assurances of continued employment, that gives you some protection as well, regardless of the "at-will employment" language that is probably sprinkled throughout the employee handbook.
- In general, there is a "good cause" requirement in California law, meaning that an employer has to have good cause for a dismissal, notwithstanding at-will employment.
Mr. Adams filed suit contending that the warehouse failed to consider their accommodation requests to be reassigned to less strenuous duties as forklift drivers. After defeating a defense motion for summary judgment, he obtained substantial settlements for both clients.
Contact Us
If you are not sure whether you have suffered a wrongful termination, and would like the opinion of an experienced lawyer, contact us to set up a free initial telephone consultation with Michael Adams. For your convenience, evening and weekend office hours may be arranged. Fee arrangements are either on a contingency, hybrid, or hourly basis.
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