Santa Ana Wrongful Termination Lawyer

Correctly navigating a wrongful termination suit in Santa Ana, CA can be challenging, even downright confusing, starting from the very moment you’re fired. Most employers know at least the basics of labor law, so they may keep things very vague and general when stating the reason why you were wrongfully terminated. While we would all like to believe our workplace deals with us honestly, the unfortunate fact is that the least reputable employers out there are not above lying outright to avoid a wrongful termination case.

When you’ve been dismissed from a job for an illegal reason, you have the right to take action under the law to seek lost wages and other damages. The Law Offices of Corbett H. Williams can help you do so. Our experienced and compassionate employment law team has a proven record of success and is dedicated to fighting for the rights of wrongfully terminated employees throughout Orange County and the rest of California.

When the smokescreens, gaslighting, and dense legal terminology get to be too much, a qualified wrongful termination attorney can explain your rights and options in clear language, leaving you feeling empowered to take on your former employer. Together, we can thoroughly investigate and collect evidence for your case until we illuminate the real reason behind your firing.

There are several great reasons to consider working with The Law Offices of Corbett H. Williams when you find yourself seeking justice for a wrongful termination in the Santa Ana, CA, area:

• Experience: In addition to his extensive work in California employment law, our lead attorney, Corbett H. Williams, has worked in litigation, international law, as a judicial extern to a United States District Court judge, and as an award-winning editor and contributor to the Los Angeles Law Review. He is admitted to practice law throughout the state of California’s court system, in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and at the federal level for the Southern, Central, and Northern districts of California. He and his team now put that vast knowledge to work every day, helping working Californians get the compensation they deserve when they’ve been wronged by an employer.
• Personalized Attention: Because of the cases we’ve seen, we understand that every wrongful termination case is unique. We don’t offer any standardized legal packages here. Instead, we take the time to get to know each of our clients and their stories. We then use this information to work collaboratively with them to develop a completely customized legal strategy to fit their situation.
• Quality Representation: In many cases, we can successfully implement strategies to get a case resolved quickly, sometimes almost entirely outside of court. If your wrongful termination case ends up before a judge, however, you can rest assured that we can use every tool at our disposal to fight for your rights. We have a reputation for refusing to back down from strong-armed executives and flashy corporate lawyers. We are fully prepared to take on anyone mistreating the working folks of California, whether that comes in the form of a corrupt small business or one of the state’s largest employers. In either case, we can leverage every available resource to build the strongest possible case on your behalf.
• Proven Results: Our record speaks for itself. We have secured millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients, and we’re ready to make our next fight your own.

If you’ve been wrongfully terminated, don’t wait to act—and don’t let your ex-employer or their legal team bully you out of exercising your rights.

Understanding Wrongful Termination in California

Unlike certain other types of violations, “wrongful termination” is not a crime that is concisely defined within a single California law. There are a number of statutes and regulations, on both the state and federal levels, that may apply in a California wrongful termination case:

• The California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits employers from terminating employees based on protected characteristics like race, gender, age, religion, disability, and sexual orientation.
• The California Labor Code is a comprehensive collection of civil statutes. These work together to create a powerful safety net with several powerful protections for workers.
• The federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 is probably the most iconic piece of legislation on this list. In addition to its many other historic achievements, it prohibits employers from terminating employees based on their race, color, nation of origin, sex, or religion.
• The Americans With Disabilities Act, commonly referred to as the ADA, is another piece of landmark federal legislation that prohibits employers from terminating employees based on a disability.
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act is a lesser-known, but also extremely important, piece of federal law. It prohibits employers from terminating employees aged 40 and over based on their age.
• The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides job protection for employees who take leave for protected reasons, such as a catastrophic illness or welcoming a new child to the family.
• The California Business and Professions Code provides a comprehensive legal framework for business operators in the state, including information about how to interact with your employees. Among other things, it prohibits employers from terminating employees for disclosing information about suspected illegal activities at work to a government agency, e., whistleblowing.

It’s important to note that the specific circumstances of each case will likely impact which of these laws and codes are invoked in your case. A qualified employment attorney can help you understand exactly where you stand under California and federal law so that you can optimize your legal strategy and move forward with your claim with confidence.

Q: Can You Get Attorney’s Fees for Wrongful Termination in California?

A: In California, when an employee wins a wrongful termination case, the court can indeed order the employer to pay the employee’s attorney’s fees. This is intended to encourage employees to assert their rights. It also helps create equity between everyday workers and billion-dollar corporations. However, it’s important to note that when someone loses a wrongful termination case, the inverse can be true in certain circumstances, and they may actually be ordered to pay their employer’s legal fees. For example, this would be the likely outcome for someone who stops going to their job and then files a blatantly fraudulent wrongful termination case to extort funds from their former employer.

Q: What Qualifies for Wrongful Termination in California?

A: There are actually several types of firings that can qualify as wrongful termination in California. Most cases revolve around terminations based on discrimination, retaliation, or breach of contract. Discrimination can include someone being fired due to their race, gender, age, disability status, or other protected trait. Retaliation would include something like termination for protected activities, such as reporting workplace safety violations to OSHA, filing a workers’ comp claim, talking to co-workers about unionizing, or taking family leave. A breach of contract can include many things, depending on the specific terms of the contract. Even the nature of the contract can be different from case to case, as it might refer to an individual contract signed between an employer and a contractor or a collective bargaining agreement that a union member is protected under.

Q: What Is the Average Wrongful Termination Settlement in California?

A: There is really no good way to calculate an “average” for these settlements in California, as cases and their outcomes will be vastly different from one to the next. Settlement amounts depend on a variety of factors, including:

• The severity of the offense
• The strength of the available evidence
• The quality of your legal representation
• The actual amount of damages suffered

Settlements for wrongful termination can range from a few thousand dollars to millions of dollars, and quality legal representation is the right way to ensure you receive the maximum possible amount for your situation.

Q: How Do I Fight Wrongful Termination in California?

A: If you believe you have been wrongfully terminated in California, you have a legally protected right to fight back. First, gather any immediate evidence you have that supports your claim, such as emails, performance reviews, or witness statements from co-workers, customers, or vendors. Next, you should consider consulting an experienced and reputable employment law firm like the Law Offices of Corbett H. Williams, working out of Laguna Hills, CA. Then, you and your attorney can move on to formally begin the process by filing your complaint with the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency.

The Law Offices of Corbett H. Williams: Justice for Working Californians

If you believe you have been illegally terminated, demoted, or limited in your opportunities at work, or if you’re experiencing workplace harassment or unsafe conditions, you may be able to take legal action against your employer. In many cases, you can seek a significant financial settlement for the damages done to you.

Dealing with wrongful termination and its aftermath can be an extremely stressful experience. If you believe you may have been wrongfully terminated in California, you will likely have many questions about your legal rights and options. Contact us today to get started with a no-pressure consultation with a Santa Ana wrongful termination lawyer.