- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- - SE HABLA ESPAÑOL
- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- - SE HABLA ESPAÑOL
Reviewed by Simon Elliot Moshkovich, Esq. (CA Bar #323584) | Last reviewed: June 18, 2026
Huntington Beach workers fired for the wrong reason, shorted on wages, ignored after reporting harassment, or punished for raising a workplace concern may have a claim under California employment law. Mercer Legal Group represents Huntington Beach employees and other Orange County workers in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, and leave disputes. We serve Huntington Beach from our Woodland Hills office at 21031 Ventura Blvd, Suite 103, and handle Orange County cases in state and federal court.
Most matters run on contingency — fees come out of any recovery, not your pocket. Initial reviews are free.
Call (818) 783-0500 or submit the contact form for a free consultation with a Huntington Beach Employment Lawyer.
Calls answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Intake in English and Spanish — SE HABLA ESPAÑOL. Terminations, harassment incidents, and retaliatory write-ups don’t always happen during business hours.
Most Huntington Beach workplace claims turn on California law rather than federal law alone. FEHA covers smaller employers, recognizes more protected categories, and doesn’t cap non-economic damages at the federal $300,000 ceiling. California’s wage and hour rules run tighter than the FLSA on overtime, breaks, final pay, and itemized statements.
Cases we see most often: wrongful termination, discrimination tied to a protected characteristic, sexual harassment and hostile work environment, retaliation, unpaid overtime and missed-break premiums, misclassification, denied CFRA and FMLA leave, and severance agreements that release more than the employee realizes. See how to prove employment discrimination in California.
Mercer Legal Group represents employees throughout Orange County — Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Garden Grove, and surrounding communities. We serve Orange County clients from our Woodland Hills office and appear in Orange County Superior Court, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Santa Ana), and Orange County mediation venues.
If your case involves a denied or mishandled leave request, see FMLA Lawyer: What to Do if Your Employer Violates Your Leave Rights. Free initial consultations, calls answered 24/7, contingency on most matters.
The substantive law is the same in both counties — Labor Code, FEHA, and federal statutes — but the practical landscape differs in ways that matter for strategy.
| Factor | Orange County | Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|
| Population | ~3.2 million | ~9.7 million |
| State court | OC Superior Court (Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Fullerton) | LA Superior Court (Stanley Mosk + satellites) |
| Federal court | Central District, Southern Division (Santa Ana) | Central District, Western Division (downtown LA) |
| Dominant industries | Healthcare, tourism, technology, real estate, finance | Entertainment, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, finance |
| Local minimum wage | State minimum in most cities | Higher local minimums in LA, West Hollywood, others |
| Mediation venues | JAMS OC, ARC, Judicate West (Newport / Santa Ana) | JAMS LA, ADR Services, Judicate West (LA / Century City) |
| Average case timeline | ~18–24 months | ~18–30 months |
If your employer is headquartered in LA County, venue may be available in either county under the CCP — the choice affects mediator availability, defense pricing, and the jury pool.
Mercer Legal Group also serves clients in Redondo Beach and the South Bay in wrongful termination matters. Our attorneys work from the Woodland Hills office and travel to South Bay clients and courts when a case requires it.
A wrongful termination violates a statute, public policy, contract, or the implied covenant. Common patterns:
Damages may include back pay, front pay or reinstatement, emotional distress damages, punitive damages where conduct was malicious, statutory penalties up to $10,000 per violation per employee under §1102.5, and attorney fees under FEHA and §1102.5. See Employment Discrimination Attorneys: Champions of Workplace Fairness.
Statute of limitations: FEHA wrongful termination — 3 years to CRD, 1 year after right-to-sue; Tameny public-policy claim — 2 years; §1102.5 whistleblower — 3 years. Constructive discharge under Turner v. Anheuser-Busch turns on intolerable conditions plus employer awareness or intent — contemporaneous documentation (emails, written HR complaints, timeline) carries significant weight.
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.
The employment law group focuses on California employment matters for employees. Founding attorney Simon Elliot Moshkovich (CA Bar #323584; licensee record) leads the practice.
What clients can expect at each stage:
At the threshold question of whether you have a case, see our overview on Do I Need an Employment Lawyer?
Mercer Legal Group offers free initial consultations to Huntington Beach employees and other Orange County workers. Calls answered 24/7. SE HABLA ESPAÑOL. Most cases on contingency — no fee unless we recover.
Call (818) 783-0500 or submit the contact form for a free consultation with a Huntington Beach Employment Lawyer.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its specific facts. This page is informational and not legal advice. Reviewing it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Mercer Legal Group.
Common questions from Huntington Beach employees about employment law claims and the legal process in California. Calls answered 24/7 — SE HABLA ESPAÑOL.
Most employee-side firms work on contingency — typically 33% to 40% of any recovery, with the firm advancing case costs. Hourly rates for experienced California employment counsel run roughly $300 to $600 per hour, but employees rarely pay hourly. Initial consultations at Mercer Legal Group are free. See what a California discrimination lawyer costs.
California data shows employment plaintiffs win roughly half of cases that reach a jury verdict, but most meritorious cases settle before trial. The strongest predictors of outcome are documentary evidence, witness credibility, clarity of damages, whether the employer’s stated reason holds up under scrutiny, and the strength of comparator and temporal evidence.
The 80% rule (four-fifths rule) is a statistical benchmark in disparate impact analysis. When the selection rate for a protected group falls below 80% of the rate for the most-selected group, the EEOC and California courts treat that as evidence of disparate impact. Courts also weigh sample size, statistical significance, and the employer’s business justification.
For most California employees with a viable claim, yes. Contingency means no upfront cost, and represented employees typically recover more in settlement than unrepresented ones. The harder question is whether a claim is viable at all — that’s what a free consultation is for. A reputable firm will tell you when you don’t have a case rather than take it on for the wrong reasons.
Focus on California employment law for employees (not a general civil practice), familiarity with Orange County Superior Court and the local mediator and defense-counsel landscape, accessibility (free consultation, after-hours calls, bilingual intake), and a clear fee arrangement — most employee-side California matters run on contingency, with no upfront cost.
