Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Los Angeles

Mercer Legal Group represents Los Angeles and California employees terminated for reasons California law protects — discrimination, retaliation, protected leave, whistleblowing, or refusing to break the law. Not every firing is illegal, but some are. We can tell you which one yours is.

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Was Your Firing Legally Wrongful?

In California, an at-will employer can fire you for almost any reason or no reason at all. But there is a short list of reasons that are off-limits, and a firing tied to one of those reasons is wrongful termination. The legal test is not whether the firing was fair. It is whether the firing was tied to a protected characteristic — race, gender, age 40+, disability, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity — or to a protected activity — reporting discrimination or harassment, requesting an accommodation, taking medical or family leave, reporting illegal conduct, or refusing to do something illegal. If yes, you may have a wrongful termination case. If genuinely no, an attorney will tell you that on the first call.

Common Wrongful Termination Patterns

These are the patterns we see most often. Each shares the same structure: the firing follows a protected event by days or weeks. Fired after raising a discrimination, harassment, or pay-equity complaint to HR or a manager. Fired after requesting an accommodation for a disability, medical condition, religious practice, or pregnancy. Fired after taking — or asking about — protected medical or family leave under FMLA or CFRA. Fired after reporting illegal conduct by the employer to a regulator, internally, or to law enforcement. Fired after refusing to do something illegal — falsify records, violate safety laws, ignore wage-and-hour duties, retaliate against another employee. Fired in a pattern that targets a protected class — older workers laid off while younger workers kept on, pregnant employees pushed out before leave, employees with disabilities cut after asking for accommodations.

How California Law Protects You

California has several overlapping statutes that protect employees from wrongful termination. FEHA prohibits firing tied to a protected characteristic or in retaliation for a discrimination/harassment complaint. Labor Code §1102.5 protects employees who report illegal conduct internally or to a government agency. Labor Code §98.6 protects employees who exercise rights under the Labor Code. The Tameny doctrine allows a wrongful discharge claim when the firing violates fundamental public policy — for example, firing an employee for refusing to break the law. FMLA and CFRA protect employees from being fired for taking or requesting medical or family leave. An attorney can tell you which of these fit your facts and how they layer together.

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Mercer Legal Group reviews employment law claims carefully, explains available options, and pursues appropriate remedies when the facts and law support them. Every case is different, and no attorney can guarantee a specific result.

What Compensation or Remedies May Be Available

Where the facts support a wrongful termination claim, available remedies may include:

Back pay and front pay
Lost benefits including health insurance and retirement contributions
Emotional distress damages
Reinstatement (in some cases)
Attorney’s fees and costs under FEHA and statutory claims
Punitive damages in cases involving malice, oppression, or fraud

Every case is different, and no attorney can guarantee a specific outcome.

What to Do If You Were Wrongfully Terminated

Save the termination documentation. Final paycheck, separation letter, HR communications, the stated reason for firing.
Identify the protected status or activity. Discrimination, retaliation, leave use, accommodation request, or refusal to commit an illegal act.
Preserve performance records. Prior reviews, awards, and any documentation showing strong performance before the termination.
Talk to an attorney before signing severance. Severance releases often waive valuable California claims — review before signing.

How Mercer Legal Group Helps

Our California wrongful termination attorneys read the facts, explain whether your firing fits a recognized wrongful-termination category, file the right administrative charge or civil claim, and pursue available remedies when the facts support them. From the first call you talk to a senior attorney. Cases are handled on a contingency-fee basis — no upfront cost to bring a claim.

Mercer Legal Group focuses on wrongful termination claims tied to protected characteristics or protected activity. We generally do not handle standalone wage-and-hour disputes, unpaid commission claims, Kaiser Permanente matters, public agency claims, or ordinary workplace disputes with no protected legal issue.

FAQs

If you were fired and are not sure whether the firing was legal, the procedural questions matter as much as the legal ones. Below are the questions clients ask us most.

How do I prove wrongful termination in California if my employer gave a performance reason?

California gives wrongful termination plaintiffs more room than federal law. Performance reasons can be pretext when the documented record does not support them — when reviews were strong until shortly before termination, when the alleged misconduct was inconsistently disciplined, or when comparator coworkers committed the same conduct without termination. Los Angeles juries respond strongly to pretext evidence built from the employer’s own HR file.

I was fired in Los Angeles right after I complained. Is that retaliation under California law?

It can be. California treats close temporal proximity between a protected complaint and termination as strong evidence of retaliation under FEHA and Labor Code §1102.5. Los Angeles courts examine the employer’s documented reasoning, comparator treatment, and whether the stated termination reason existed before the complaint.

My California employer fired me for refusing to do something illegal. What are my options?

Strong protection under California law. Under the Tameny doctrine and Labor Code §1102.5, California treats firing an employee for refusing to commit an illegal act, or for reporting illegal conduct, as wrongful termination in violation of public policy. Los Angeles cases under §1102.5 can be filed directly in court without administrative exhaustion.

I signed a severance agreement when I was fired in California. Do I still have a wrongful termination case?

Maybe yes. California severance releases must meet specific requirements — clear language, adequate consideration, knowing and voluntary execution, and special disclosures for age claims under OWBPA. Many California employer releases fail one or more of these requirements. Have a California employment attorney review the release before assuming the claim is lost.

How long do I have to file a wrongful termination claim in California?

It depends on the legal basis. FEHA-based wrongful termination claims (discrimination, retaliation) have three years to file with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD). Labor Code §1102.5 whistleblower claims have three years and can be filed directly in court. Tameny common-law wrongful termination claims have two years from the termination date.

Get a Free, Confidential Case Review

If you were fired and you believe the firing was tied to discrimination, retaliation, protected leave, whistleblowing, or refusing to break the law, contact Mercer Legal Group for a free, confidential case review with a Los Angeles wrongful termination lawyer. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.

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