Riverside Employment Retaliation Lawyer
Protecting Workers’ Rights Across Southern California
As an employee in California, you have many rights. You have the right to protected medical leave, you have the right to accommodations for disabilities and other issues, and you have the right to be free from harassment and discrimination. You also have the right to report your employer for violating any of these rights, on your own behalf or on behalf of someone else.
If you engage in a protected activity and you are fired or otherwise treated poorly as a result, you might have a claim for unlawful employment retaliation. The knowledgeable and dedicated workplace retaliation and workers’ rights attorneys at Ochoa & Calderón are ready to help you get the compensation you are owed and the justice you deserve.
What Activities Are Protected From Retaliation?
Unlawful retaliation occurs when an employee is subjected to an adverse employment action in response to the employee engaging in protected activities. Not all activities are protected–it’s not illegal for your employer to fire you for refusing to perform your job duties, for example–but many workers are surprised to learn what conduct is legally protected. If your employer demotes you, fires you, or otherwise punishes you after engaging in protected conduct, they could be held liable for unlawful workplace retaliation.
Under California law, your employer is not permitted to retaliate against you for participating in any internal or external (e.g., government agency) investigation regarding:
- Sexual harassment or other forms of harassment
- Workplace discrimination
- Criminal or otherwise unlawful activity
- Safety violations
- Labor law violations such as unpaid overtime, meal break violations, or other wage and hour violations
You have the right to report any such conduct, to serve as a witness in an investigation or a legal case involving these allegations, and to pursue your own claims regarding any such conduct. Even if it turns out there was no violation, so long as you had reason to suspect such unlawful conduct, you have the right to complain and to participate in an investigation.
Additionally, you cannot be retaliated against for doing any of the following:
- Performing jury duty
- Taking protected family or medical leave
- Requesting accommodation for lactation
- Requesting accommodation for a disability
- Filing or obtaining workers’ compensation
- Refusing to perform an unlawful task (such as criminal conduct, harassment, or discrimination) or speaking out against improper workplace conduct
If you have engaged in any conduct that you believe was protected by law, and you believe you have been the victim of workplace retaliation as a result, talk to an experienced workplace retaliation lawyer at Ochoa & Calderón. We’ll help you understand your rights and your options.
What Counts as Retaliation?
Retaliation can take many forms. While termination is certainly the most obvious example of workplace retaliation, any adverse employment actions that your employer takes against you may constitute retaliation. The seasoned employment retaliation lawyers at Ochoa & Calderón help employees subjected to a wide range of retaliatory conduct, including:
- Being fired, terminated, or laid off
- Being demoted
- Being passed over for a promotion
- Being transferred to a worse position or location
- Being denied a bonus or other compensation
- Being denied a transfer to a more convenient location or position without justification
- Having salary or wages reduced
- Being given an unjustifiably negative job reference
- Being subjected to a hostile work environment
- Being denied the tools or help needed to perform your job
- Receiving negative performance reviews without justification
Remedies After Unlawful Retaliation
If you’ve been subjected to unlawful employment retaliation, an experienced workers’ rights attorney at Ochoa & Calderón can walk you through your options for relief. You may be entitled to monetary compensation and other remedies, including:
- Reinstatement of your position
- Back pay
- Front pay
- Damages for financial harm you suffered
- Damages for emotional distress
- Punitive damages for especially egregious or malicious conduct
Workplace Retaliation Attorneys Serving Riverside and Southern California
If you have been subjected to retaliation in violation of California state or federal law, reach out to Ochoa & Calderón for a free consultation. We take appropriate cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only charge a fee if we are successful on your behalf, and our fees come as a percentage of the amount we recover for you. You’ve got nothing to lose by calling now, but you could miss out on enforcing your legal rights if you wait too long. Call us at 951-901-4444 in Riverside or throughout Southern California at 844-401-0750. Our lawyers are ready to fight for you.
