Orange County

You may not feel sure that you have been discriminated or retaliated against. Or you may not know whether your rights with regard to wage and hour law have been violated. Many laypeople are uncertain about whether to pursue litigation against their employer who typically has significantly more resources than they do. If you believe that your workplace rights may have been violated, you should consult a knowledgeable Orange County employment lawyer who can assess your case and determine whether you have a viable claim for compensation. The Calderone Law Firm deploys insights gathered over twenty years of experience fighting companies for employees’ rights.

Discrimination is prohibited under several federal laws, as well as the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). FEHA protects you so long as you work for a place that has at least 5 employees; it prohibits sexual harassment in workplaces of any size—even if you are the only employee there. Adverse steps that count as discrimination when taken as a result of a trait protected under FEHA include any significant decision made on the job such as those pertaining to job interviews, job applications, hirings, promotions, participation in training programs, demotions, and terminations. For example, if you are not promoted at the travel agency where you work because you have a religious employer who knows that you had an abortion, you may have a claim for reproductive freedom discrimination. Similarly, if you are fired because your boss finds out you are gay, you may have a claim for racial discrimination.

Wage and hour laws address minimum wage, overtime, equipment, and rest and meal breaks. As a nonexempt employee, you receive protections when it comes to wage and hour laws that nonexempt employees and independent contractors do not have. Orange County employers may violate the laws that protect you in many different ways, and these violations may be intentional or a matter or oversight. If you believe you have been subject to wage theft or another wage and hour violation, you should consult an employment attorney to determine whether you are protected and whether your employer has violated your rights.

Sometimes wage and hour lawsuits involve minimal losses. This might happen, for instance, if you were only sometimes asked to work off the clock during your lunch break. However, it may be appropriate to join with other employees that work for your employer who have had their rights violated in a similar way. You may be able to pursue a class action lawsuit, a procedure that can be complicated and requires the representation of a seasoned class action attorney like those at Calderone Law Firm.

Under California Labor Code section 1102.5, as an employee, you are protected against whistleblower retaliation. A whistleblower is an employee who discloses information to the government or a law enforcement agency or someone with authority over the employee when the employee has reasonable cause to believe the information reveals a state or federal statutory violation; a violation of a local, state, or federal regulation. or unsafe working conditions or workplace practices. Your employer is not allowed to make, adopt or enforce any regulation, policy or rule to stop you from being a whistleblower, nor may it retaliate against you. It also cannot retaliate against you for refusing to participate in an illegal activity. If your employer retaliates against you for whistleblowing, such as by firing you, your job may be reinstated, your benefits restored, your lost wages paid, and the employer may be required to pay civil monetary penalties.

Whether you’re facing employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation or wage and hour violations, call the tenacious Orange County attorneys of Calderone Law Firm about your situation. Our founder, Vincent Calderone, has more than 20 years of experience representing employees in cities like Anaheim, Brea, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana, and Yorba Linda. Please contact us online or call us at (424) 348-8290.