Newport Beach

Newport Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California. As of 2023, the city has a population of 82,637. The city’s harbor previously supported maritime industries, but now it is mainly used for recreation—the harbor is one of the largest recreational boat harbors on the west coast. Top employers in the city include Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, PIMCO, Pacific Life Insurance, Glidewell Dental, Irvine Management Company, Tower Semiconductor, and the Resort at Pelican Hill. Like workplaces in other cities, those in Newport Beach sometimes have problems that result in serious disputes between employers and employees. 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 Newport 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. 

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) includes strong protection against workplace discrimination, even for those who work in small companies that may not be covered under federal laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). You may be able to bring a lawsuit for discrimination if your employer took an adverse employment action against you because of one of your traits, when that trait is protected under FEHA. Adverse employment actions include failure to promote, termination, firing, demoting, disparate pay, or failure to hire. The law applies to workplaces that have a minimum of five employees, but it’s important to note that sexual harassment is prohibited in every workplace, even those with just one employee. 

The law recognizes the importance of whistleblowers. These are employees who act in good faith to report their employers’ legal violations and misconduct, whether the employer’s conduct involves breaking the law, acting against public policy or failing to follow regulations. Under California laws, your employer is not permitted to retaliate against you for whistleblowing, so long as you reasonably believed that what you reported was a legal violation. Retaliation is an action taken because of a whistleblower’s decision to report an employer; retaliatory actions can include demotion, failure to promote, denial of training opportunities, firing, demotions, or unfair write-ups. California Labor Code 1102.5 is the state law that provides the broadest protection to workers that blow the whistle on their employer. You are covered by this law if you reported the violation to someone with authority over you on the job or to a law enforcement agency. You’re also protected if you testified before a public body in the course of an investigation of the violation. 

Nobody wants to work for less than is fair. Federal, state, and local laws provide protection to employees by setting rules with regard to various wage and hour matters include minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, uniforms, and other matters. Importantly, not every worker is an employee; you don’t receive wage and hour protections if you are a gig worker or an exempt employee. Rather these are rules applied to nonexempt employees—those employees that don’t have as much control over how they do their work for an employer. Some employers misclassify their employees as independent contractors (or exempt employees) in order to avoid following the wage and hour laws. However, it is not ultimately up to an employer to determine whether you are an employee; this is a question of law, and it’s important to seek legal counsel and advice, if you believe you may be a nonexempt employee who is covered. Sometimes the damages in an individual wage and hour lawsuit are small; however, when employees band together, it may be possible to pursue damages together in a class action lawsuit. These cases are complicated, and it is critical to retain seasoned class action lawyers like those at Calderone Law Firm to represent you and your fellow plaintiffs.

In most cases, an employer has more power than an employee. If you’ve gotten into a dispute with your employer, it’s imperative to put yourself on equal footing with your employer by retaining a knowledgeable lawyer to protect your rights and interests. Call the experienced Newport Beach attorneys of Calderone Law Firm to discuss your legal options. Our founder, Vincent Calderone, has more than two decades of experience litigating employment lawsuits. Please contact us online or call us at (424) 348-8290.