The term “Wrongful Termination” encompasses many things with regard to California Employment law. At its broadest, this means any termination that is illegal under state or federal law. In its narrowest use, it means terminations that violate California’s “public policy” and which courts have ruled are an illegal basis for termination.
In California, this doctrine has [...]

This is my second post in our multi-part series on “family status” discrimination, which is becoming more and more common under both federal and state law.
There are many ways family status discrimination can happen in the workplace, some of which are very subtle and difficult to prove. Other types are not subtle at all, [...]

Apparently there is a new game show out called “Moment of Truth” that gives contestants a lie detector test before the show and then the host asks them the same questions on the air. If the contestant’s answer on the air is different from the results of the polygraph, they lose (up to [...]

Yesterday the California Supreme Court heard arguments in Ross v. Ragingwire Telecommunications, Inc.
In this case, the employee was refused employment because his pre-employment drug test came back positive for marijuana. The employee had been using medical marijuana at the direction of his physician to deal with lower back strain and muscle spasms.
Case Background
Under [...]

One of the strongest job protections for employees in the United States is for those who take a leave of absence to serve in the armed forces. I have seen a dramatic increase in these claims in just the past year and I recently filed a federal lawsuit for a client in San Francisco [...]

Q: I took a one-month FMLA medical leave for surgery, but my employer laid me off two weeks into the leave. I have always heard that an employer cannot terminate an employee who is on a medical leave. Is this true?
–Unemployed (CA)
A: It is a common misconception among employees that employers [...]

Q: I moved to California from Wisconsin six months ago to take a job with a company here. I quit a good job back home, my wife sacrificed a job she loved, and our kids had to leave all of their friends behind, and we moved our family to California. I was [...]

Q: One of my co-workers has asked me to testify for in her discrimination case against our employer. I want to help, but I am afraid that my employer will retaliate against me if I help her.
–Want to Help But Scared (CA)
A: Both state and federal discrimination laws prohibit retaliation by employers [...]

Q: My boss is a real jerk. She harasses me for no good reason, calls me names and belittles me in front of other employees. Today I finally told her not to treat me like that anymore, because it interferes with my work and it is unprofessional. She fired me on the spot for complaining. [...]

Q: Last week I found out I was pregnant and my husband and I were overjoyed. The next day, I went into work and told my boss. He said that he does not allow pregnant women to work there because they disrupt scheduling when they take time off to have the baby. [...]

Q: My employer terminated me today (December 31, 2006). I was supposed to receive a $10,000 performance bonus for 2006, but one of the terms of my bonus agreement says that I have to be employed on January 1, 2007 to get my bonus. The company is not doing very well and [...]