Whether you need to pursue a claim against your employer related to employment discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, or wage and hour matters, it’s important to call the seasoned Laguna Beach employment law attorneys of Calderone Law Firm. We can use our insights into workplace lawsuits, which we’ve gained over years of experience, to fight for you.
Laguna Beach Workplace Discrimination LawsuitsFederal, state, and local laws prohibit workplace discrimination. In many cases, the greatest protection is obtained under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), which prohibits employers from discriminating against workers so long as they have at least 5 employees. In addition to providing protection against discrimination at smaller businesses than federal laws cover, FEHA also protects a broader range of characteristics; these traits include age, ancestry, color, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, medical condition, race, religion, military or veteran status, national origin, reproductive health decision-making, sex, and sexual orientation. Discrimination occurs when an employer takes an adverse employment action against you due to a protected characteristic; adverse employment actions include failures to hire, disparate pay, demotions, firings, terminations, and failures to promote. Under FEHA, sexual harassment is forbidden in every workplace including those with just one employee.
Attorneys for Whistleblower Protection in Laguna BeachIf you are an employee who acted in good faith to report your employer’s legal violations or misconduct, whether the employer’s conduct involves breaking the law, acting against public policy or failing to follow regulations, you are considered a whistleblower. Under California law, you are protected from retaliation by your employer, so long as you, in good faith, believed that what you reported was a legal violation. Retaliation is an action taken because of a whistleblower’s decision to report an employer to authorities; it can include termination or firing, demotion, failure to promote, denial of training opportunities, demotions, harassment or unfair performance reviews or write-ups. For example, if you reported the construction company for which you work for suspected OSHA violations, you may be protected under California Labor Code 1102.5. You would also be protected under section 1102.5 if you testified about those violations in front of a public body while OSHA was investigating them.
Laguna Beach Wage and Hour LawsuitsYou should be paid fairly and according to the law. Nonexempt employees receive various legal protections under federal, state, and local laws on such matters as minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, and uniforms. Certain employers inadvertently or intentionally fail to abide by wage and hour laws. One way in which companies seek to evade rules like paying overtime to nonexempt employees is by misclassifying workers as independent contractors or exempt employees. However, your classification is a question of law; it is not up to what your employer wants to classify you as. It’s important to talk to an attorney if you believe you may be a nonexempt employee, but you are not receiving minimum wage, overtime, and meal and rest breaks that are due to this class of worker. Often the damages in an individual wage and hour lawsuit are very small. However, a group of coworkers can join together to sue an employer in a wage and hour class action. These lawsuits can be complex—it’s important to retain an attorney that has experience in this area, such as those at Calderone Law Firm.
Call a Seasoned Laguna Beach Employment Lawyer About Your ClaimTypically, companies have more power and resources than their employees. If you are in a dispute about wage and hour violations, discrimination, or illegal employer conduct with your employer, you would be wise to retain a tenacious employment law attorney to represent you and protect your interests. Our founder, Vincent Calderone, has more than 20 years of experience litigating employment lawsuits. Please contact us online or call us at (424) 348-8290.