If you were fired and you know in your gut that something was wrong, you are probably right. In San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and throughout Northern California, employers terminate workers illegally every day — using discrimination, retaliation, or abuse of power to push people out. Most of those workers do nothing, because they do not know their rights or they are afraid to act.
My name is Arlo Uriarte. I am an employment attorney at Liberation Law Group and I have spent over 20 years filing wrongful termination cases on behalf of workers in San Francisco and throughout California. We are a plaintiff's firm — we fight for workers, we file cases, and we do not defend employers. Our office is at 2760 Mission Street in the Mission District, three minutes from 24th Street BART. We speak Spanish, we know our community, and we know exactly how to build a case that wins.
If you were terminated in the last few days or weeks, time matters. Call today for a free consultation in Spanish or English —
If your employer is offering you money in exchange for signing something, call us first. Once you sign, you may permanently waive your legal rights. The consultation is completely free. Call now: 1-888-442-2642.
California Is an At-Will State — But the Exceptions Are What Matter
When you tell someone you were wrongfully terminated, they often say: "California is at-will — they can fire you for any reason." That is technically true — but only in part. At-will employment has major, important exceptions, and those exceptions cover the vast majority of wrongfully terminated workers who call us.
Yes, California is at-will. Your employer can, in theory, terminate you without giving a reason. But they cannot terminate you for these reasons:
If your termination falls into any of these categories, you have a wrongful termination case under California law — regardless of at-will status.
The trap employers use: they claim you were fired for "performance issues," "restructuring," or "budget cuts" — when the real reason is one of the prohibited ones above. At Liberation Law Group, we have spent 20 years dismantling those pretexts before juries in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area.
The Legal Authority Behind Your Claim — The At-Will Exceptions, With Exact Citations
California presumes employment is at will (Labor Code § 2922), but that presumption has exceptions written into the law. A firing is unlawful when it falls into one of them. These are the specific provisions, with the citation so you can verify any of it.
| Provision | What it establishes |
|---|---|
| Labor Code § 2922 | Creates the at-will presumption. It is the starting point, not the end: the presumption yields to any of the exceptions below. |
| Labor Code § 1102.5 | Whistleblower protection. Bars retaliation for reporting what you reasonably believe is a violation of law, including internally and even if you turn out to be mistaken in good faith. Civil penalty up to $10,000 per employee per violation. |
| Labor Code § 98.6 | Bars retaliation for claiming wages or filing a complaint with the Labor Commissioner. |
| SB 497 (2023) | The Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act. Creates a rebuttable presumption of retaliation if the adverse action occurs within 90 days of protected activity under §§ 98.6, 1102.5, and 1197.5. Effective January 1, 2024, it shifts the burden of proof to the employer. |
| Labor Code § 6310 | Bars retaliation for complaining about unsafe working conditions or reporting to Cal/OSHA. |
| Labor Code § 1019 | Bars immigration-related retaliation, including threatening to report a worker. Up to $10,000 per violation. |
| Gov. Code § 12940(a) | Termination because of a protected characteristic: race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age (40 and over), disability, religion, national origin, and the other FEHA categories. |
| Gov. Code § 12945 | Termination connected to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. |
| Labor Code §§ 201-202 | Final pay: if you are fired, payment is due immediately, that same day. If you quit with 72 hours' notice, on your last day; without notice, within 72 hours. |
| Labor Code § 203 | Waiting-time penalty for late final pay: up to 30 days of full wages. It is a separate claim that survives even if the termination itself was lawful. |
| Labor Code §§ 230, 230.1 | Protects absences for jury duty, appearing as a witness, and for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. |
| Civil Code § 3294 | Punitive damages where malice, oppression, or fraud is proven by clear and convincing evidence. |
The three court-created exceptions
Tameny v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (1980) 27 Cal.3d 167. Created the tort of wrongful discharge in violation of public policy: an employer cannot fire you for refusing to commit an unlawful act, for exercising a legal right, or for reporting a violation of law. Because it is a tort rather than a contract claim, it opens damages a contract claim would not.
Foley v. Interactive Data Corp. (1988) 47 Cal.3d 654. Recognized the implied-in-fact contract: length of service, promotions, positive reviews, company assurances, and the employer's own written policies can create an implied agreement not to terminate without good cause, even with no signed contract.
Harris v. City of Santa Monica (2013) 56 Cal.4th 203. If the employer proves it would have made the same decision for lawful reasons, back pay and reinstatement are off the table, but liability does not disappear: declaratory relief, an injunction, and attorney's fees remain available.
The practical point: your employer does not need a reason to fire you, but it cannot give a false reason to cover an unlawful one. That is where timing, the performance file, and how comparable workers were treated decide the case.
General information about California law. Not legal advice for your specific situation.
Types of Wrongful Termination We Fight in San Francisco Every Week
Termination for Discrimination
Discrimination is the most common underlying cause of wrongful terminations we see. And it almost never looks like an employer explicitly stating a discriminatory reason. What it looks like is a longer pattern: treating you worse than other employees for months, documenting you for small things they ignore in others, assigning you impossible tasks designed to make you fail, and eventually firing you once they have built enough paper to justify it. All disguised as "performance issues."
- You are fired for being Latino, Mexican, or Central American — or simply for having an accent
- You are terminated for being pregnant or for having taken maternity leave
- You are let go for your age — "no longer a cultural fit" — when you are over 40
- You are fired for a disability or for having requested a medical accommodation
- You are terminated for your sexual orientation or gender identity
Learn more about all types of employment discrimination protected under California's FEHA.
Termination for Retaliation
The second most common type. You did something the law protects — you complained about sexual harassment, reported that you were not being paid correctly, flagged dangerous working conditions — and shortly after, you were terminated for "another reason."
- You are fired after reporting sexual harassment or discrimination to HR
- You are terminated one week after complaining that you were not receiving overtime pay
- You are let go for reporting dangerous working conditions to OSHA or Cal/OSHA
- You are fired for refusing to participate in something illegal your supervisor requested
- You are terminated for supporting a coworker's discrimination complaint
Timing tells the story. If your termination happened within three months of a protected complaint, that timing is powerful evidence of retaliation that is very difficult for an employer to explain away before a Bay Area jury.
Read about your full legal protections against workplace retaliation in California.
Termination for Public Policy Violations
California specifically protects workers who are terminated for doing things society considers important. You cannot legally be fired for:
- Reporting crimes or legal violations to authorities — protected whistleblowing
- Taking jury duty (jury service is legally protected)
- Serving in the military or National Guard
- Voting or participating in protected political activities
- Refusing to do something that violates the law
- Taking legally protected sick leave or family leave
20+ years filing wrongful termination cases in San Francisco and the Bay Area. No fee unless we win.
1-888-442-2642 or request your free case evaluation herePretext — How Employers Try to Cover Up Illegal Terminations
In over 20 years of filing cases in San Francisco, I have seen every excuse employers use. There is a clear pattern — and when you see it laid out before a jury, it is almost impossible to defend.
The typical pattern: a worker does something legally protected — complains about discrimination, reports wage theft, announces a pregnancy. And suddenly the employer "discovers" problems that were never mentioned before. Performance reviews that were exemplary for years suddenly become "unacceptable." Suddenly there are "attitude problems" nobody ever documented. Suddenly the company needs to "restructure" precisely that person's position.
That is called pretext — a false reason to cover the real, illegal reason. And finding and exposing pretext is exactly what we do.
The most common pretext signals we find in our cases:
- Performance reviews were positive right up until shortly after the protected complaint or pregnancy announcement
- Other employees with similar or worse performance were not terminated
- The time between the protected event and the termination is suspiciously short
- The verbal reasons given do not match what is in the written documentation
- The employer did not follow its own progressive discipline procedures before terminating
- The supervisor who made the decision made discriminatory comments before the termination
Wrongful Termination by Industry — What We See in San Francisco
Restaurants — Mission District, North Beach, Castro, Tenderloin
San Francisco's restaurant industry — from the kitchens of North Beach near Washington Square Park to the taquerias on 24th Street in the Mission District — is where we file the most wrongful termination cases involving discrimination and retaliation. Pregnant servers who are suddenly "unreliable." Latino cooks fired for "attitude" after complaining that tip pools were being mismanaged. Kitchen workers who lose their jobs days after reporting sexual harassment. The pattern is consistent across the city.
Cleaning and Building Services — Financial District, SoMa, Office Buildings
Cleaning workers in the office buildings of the Financial District near the Embarcadero and in SoMa, where hundreds of tech companies occupy offices near the Moscone Center, are particularly vulnerable to wrongful termination. They often work alone, frequently are immigrants, and employers count on them not knowing their rights. Terminations following complaints about working conditions or pay practices are common in this industry — and they are exactly the kind of retaliation cases we file.
Hotels — Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown
Hotel housekeeping workers around Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf face wrongful terminations for racial discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, and retaliation for reporting harassment. "Poor performance" is the standard cover — but when we examine the record, the evaluations were consistently positive right up until the day the worker reported something.
Construction — Mission Bay, Dogpatch, Bayview-Hunters Point
With major construction underway near Chase Center in Mission Bay and in the Candlestick development in Bayview-Hunters Point, wrongful terminations of Latino construction workers are common, almost always disguised as "safety violations" or "communication problems." We have represented workers in the Bay Area construction industry fired immediately after reporting dangerous conditions to Cal/OSHA — making them protected whistleblowers under California law.
Technology and Offices — SoMa, Financial District, South Bay
Wrongful terminations in tech frequently take the form of "layoffs" that are actually age or gender discrimination, or "performance improvement plans" designed to create paper trails justifying terminations that were already decided for discriminatory reasons. "Layoffs" that disproportionately affect employees over 40, women, or Latino workers are legally suspect under California's FEHA.
Retail — Excelsior, Richmond District, Bayview
Retail workers in neighborhoods like the Excelsior and Richmond District face wrongful terminations for racial discrimination and retaliation with regularity. Latina cashiers fired for "attitude problems" when the real problem is that they spoke Spanish with Latino customers. Older workers replaced with younger employees after years of excellent service. We file these cases throughout San Francisco.
Documented Matters and What Actually Determines Case Value
These are documented matters Liberation Law Group has been involved in that were covered by the California press, described with their exact procedural posture. A verdict that was set aside and a case that is still open do not mean the same thing as a final recovery.
* Prior results do not guarantee or predict a future outcome. Every case turns on its own facts, its evidence, and its jurisdiction.
What to Do Immediately After a Wrongful Termination
Time matters more than most people realize. Employers know that evidence disappears — emails get deleted, witnesses change jobs, memories fade. Here is what to do right now:
If the employer offers a severance agreement or any document in exchange for money, do not sign before calling an attorney. Once you sign, you permanently waive your legal rights. Call 1-888-442-2642 first — the consultation is free and could save you tens of thousands of dollars.
Write down in a private location: the exact date and time, who told you and exactly what they said word for word, whether witnesses were present, and any reason given. Do this today — details fade quickly and specific words matter in court.
Photograph positive performance reviews, relevant emails, documentation of complaints you filed, and any evidence of discrimination or harassment. Store everything on personal devices — not work equipment. Access to company systems disappears quickly after termination.
Apply even if your employer is likely to dispute it. Select "involuntary termination." EDD records can be useful evidence in your legal case. California EDD: 1-800-300-5616. San Francisco Jobs Center: (415) 701-4000.
Wrongful termination cases are strongest when you act fast. Evidence is fresher. Witnesses are more accessible. More legal options are available. The consultation at Liberation Law Group is free and
What Evidence Do You Need for a Wrongful Termination Case?
The most common thing we hear: "I don't have proof." The reality is that you almost never need a smoking-gun email where a manager says "I'm firing you because of your race." Those are extremely rare — discriminating employers do not leave that kind of trail. Cases are built with circumstantial evidence — a pattern that speaks for itself.
The most powerful evidence in wrongful termination cases:
- Positive performance reviews prior to termination — the best evidence that the stated reasons are pretext
- The timing of the termination — exactly how close was it to your protected complaint or pregnancy announcement?
- Different treatment of comparable employees — coworkers with similar performance who were not fired
- Emails and messages — communications showing the pattern of discrimination or retaliation
- Witnesses — coworkers who observed the differential treatment or heard discriminatory comments
- Documentation of internal complaints — records of complaints you filed with HR or management
- The employee handbook — to show that the employer did not follow its own progressive discipline procedures
If you have none of this, do not give up. Through legal discovery, we can compel the employer to produce all internal emails about your termination, performance evaluations for all employees in your position, management communications, and any other evidence the employer would prefer to keep hidden. We have won cases that began with the worker having no documents whatsoever.
California Legal Deadlines — Two Different Clocks, Depending on the Claim
Which deadline applies depends on the legal basis of your case, and more than one clock can run at once. Confusing them is the most common way a winnable case is lost.
Government Code § 12960(e) gives you three years from the termination to file a verified complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) at 455 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. Exhausting that administrative step is a jurisdictional prerequisite — you cannot go straight to court. Once the right-to-sue notice issues, § 12965(c)(1)(D) gives you one year to file the civil action, measured from the date the notice is issued. If you do not want to wait for the investigation, you can request the notice immediately.
For retaliatory termination under §§ 1102.5, 98.6, or 6310 — blowing the whistle, claiming wages, or reporting unsafe conditions — the general deadline is three years and there is no CRD step. If the adverse action happened within 90 days of your complaint, SB 497 creates a rebuttable presumption of retaliation in your favor.
Claims for unpaid wages and the § 203 waiting-time penalty of up to 30 days' wages carry a three-year deadline from the violation, extendable to four when brought under the Unfair Competition Law (Bus. & Prof. Code § 17208).
EEOC: 300 days. For the parallel federal statute, the California deadline is 300 days with the EEOC, San Francisco district office at 450 Golden Gate Avenue. It is far shorter than the state deadline.
Lawsuits are filed in the Superior Court for the relevant county: San Francisco at 400 McAllister Street, Santa Clara at 191 North First Street in San Jose, Napa at 825 Brown Street. Even with years left, evidence decays: witnesses change jobs and electronic records are purged on the company's retention schedule. If you are still unsure whether your case warrants a lawyer, our decision guide walks through the six indicators of pretext and when you can file on your own with the Labor Commissioner.
How Much Can You Recover for Wrongful Termination?
The factors that decide value of a wrongful termination case
We do not publish value ranges, because a range without your facts is not useful information. It is a made-up number. What we can explain are the factors the law and the evidence make matter:
- Documented lost wages — from the termination to today, plus projected future loss if you have not found comparable work. Your duty to mitigate by looking for work affects this calculation.
- Timing — the number of days between your complaint or pregnancy announcement and the adverse action. Within 90 days, SB 497 puts the burden of proof on the employer.
- The strength of the pretext evidence — prior positive reviews, the stated reason against the documented one, shifts in the employer's explanation, and how comparable workers were treated.
- Whether the employer can sustain the Harris same-decision defense, which limits damages without eliminating liability.
- Claims that stack — the § 203 penalty of up to 30 days' wages, the $10,000 per violation under § 1102.5, and the $10,000 per immigration-related threat under § 1019 are independent of the termination itself.
- Emotional distress damages and, with malice or oppression proven by clear and convincing evidence, punitive damages under Civil Code § 3294.
- The size of the employer, which determines whether FEHA applies and whether a federal damages cap applies. FEHA has no cap.
- Attorney's fees, which under § 12965(c)(6) the employer may be ordered to pay, changing the economics of the case.
No obligation. No cost. Regardless of your immigration status. We speak Spanish.
1-888-442-2642 or request your free case evaluation hereYour Rights as an Undocumented Worker
This is the conversation we have most often with our community. And I want to be completely direct.
California's FEHA protects every worker in the state regardless of immigration status. If you were wrongfully terminated, you have the same legal rights as any other California worker — regardless of whether you have documentation.
More importantly: if your employer threatens to report you to immigration authorities to silence you — whether to prevent a complaint or a lawsuit — that is an additional, independent violation under California Labor Code Section 1019, carrying penalties of up to $10,000 per threat.
At Liberation Law Group, every case is handled with absolute confidentiality. We never ask about immigration status and we never share that information with anyone. Our office is in the Mission District — the heart of San Francisco's Latino community — and we have been part of that community for over 20 years.
100% confidential consultation in Spanish or English. No questions about immigration status.
1-888-442-2642 or request your free case evaluation onlineWhat Our Clients Say
"Thank you Liberation Law Group for handling our case and settling this matter with our prior employer. I am truly grateful for the work and dedication your firm provided to me and my coworkers."
— Mar Martin, Google review
Where We Serve — San Francisco and All of Northern California
Our office is at 2760 Mission Street 2nd floor in the Mission District — three minutes from 24th Street Mission BART, around the corner from Dolores Park and the 24th Street Latino Cultural District. We handle cases throughout the region:
San Francisco: Mission District, Excelsior, Tenderloin, SoMa (near Moscone Center), Financial District (near the Embarcadero and Ferry Building), North Beach, Bayview-Hunters Point, Castro, Union Square, Potrero Hill, Outer Sunset, Chinatown, Visitacion Valley.
Santa Clara County: San Jose (downtown near the Superior Court at 191 North First Street near SAP Center, East San Jose, Santana Row area), Santa Clara, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Mountain View.
Alameda County: Oakland (especially Fruitvale — 53.8% Hispanic — near the Fruitvale BART station), Hayward (40.7% Latino), Fremont, Berkeley, San Leandro, Pleasanton, Union City.
North Bay: Napa County (35.4% Latino — city of Napa near the Superior Court at 825 Brown Street), Sonoma County (28.9% Latino), Santa Rosa, Marin County, Vallejo, American Canyon, Solano County, Fairfield.
San Mateo County: Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo, Redwood City, East Palo Alto.
Central Coast: Monterey County, Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, Salinas.
Liberation Law Group — Employment Attorneys for Workers. Free consultation in Spanish or English. No fee unless we win.
1-888-442-2642 or request your free consultation onlineFrequently Asked Questions About Wrongful Termination in California
How can I prove wrongful termination if California is an at-will state?
At-will employment has major exceptions — and those exceptions are what make wrongful termination cases viable. If you were fired for discrimination (race, gender, pregnancy, age, disability, religion, national origin), for retaliation (after complaining about discrimination, harassment, or wage theft), or for a public policy violation (refusing to do something illegal, taking jury duty, reporting crimes), your termination is illegal regardless of at-will status.
The key is the pattern, not a single smoking-gun fact. We look at: the timing of the termination relative to a protected event, how your treatment compared to other employees, what your performance reviews showed before the termination, whether the employer's stated reasons are consistent with the documentary record, and whether supervisors made discriminatory comments. A strong pattern is frequently more convincing to a San Francisco or Bay Area jury than any single piece of direct evidence. Call 1-888-442-2642 for a free evaluation of your specific situation.
What do I do if I already signed a severance agreement after being terminated?
Not everything is lost — but it depends on what you signed and under what circumstances. Severance agreements can be challenged under California law when: you were not given reasonable time to review it with an attorney before signing (for employees over 40, the law requires 21 days); you were pressured to sign immediately; you did not receive adequate consideration (money) in exchange; or discrimination or retaliation was involved in the underlying termination.
Even if the agreement is generally valid, there may be aspects of your case not covered by it, or remedies available that the agreement does not foreclose. Call 1-888-442-2642 — we will evaluate your specific agreement for free and tell you honestly what options are still available. The consultation costs nothing.
How long do I have to file a wrongful termination lawsuit in California?
Deadlines vary by the type of wrongful termination claim. For discrimination-based wrongful termination under FEHA, you have 3 years from the termination date to file a lawsuit directly in court. In San Francisco, that is the Superior Court at 400 McAllister Street near Civic Center BART. In Napa, the Napa County Superior Court at 825 Brown Street. In San Jose, the Santa Clara County Superior Court at 191 North First Street near SAP Center.
For an administrative complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), the deadline is 3 years from the most recent unlawful act (Gov. Code § 12960(e)). For the EEOC (federal), 300 days. For California Labor Code violations involving retaliation for wage complaints, generally 3 years.
Even with the three-year window, we strongly recommend calling within the first 30 days. Evidence is freshest, witnesses remember the most, and we have the most strategic options. Call 1-888-442-2642 to find out exactly which deadline applies to your case.
How much money can I recover for wrongful termination?
California law provides some of the most generous available damages for wrongfully terminated workers. You can recover back pay — everything lost from the termination date through the case resolution. Front pay — projected future losses if your career was damaged. Reinstatement with back pay in some cases. Emotional distress damages with no statutory cap under FEHA. Punitive damages to punish malicious or fraudulent conduct. And in most successful employment cases, the employer pays your attorney fees rather than those coming out of your recovery.
What you can recover depends on documented lost wages, the timing of events against your complaint, the strength of the pretext evidence, emotional distress, and any statutory penalties that stack, such as the up-to-30-days penalty under Labor Code Section 203. Publishing a range without knowing your facts would not be useful information. Call 1-888-442-2642 for an honest free evaluation of your specific case.
What if my employer says they fired me for performance issues?
"Performance issues" is the most commonly used pretext in wrongful termination cases — and it is also one of the easiest to expose when it is not genuine. We examine the full picture: Were your performance reviews positive before you made a protected complaint? Were other employees with similar or lower performance not terminated? Is the timing between your protected activity and your termination suspiciously close? Does the written documentation match what supervisors told you verbally? Did the employer follow its own progressive discipline process before terminating?
When the answers to those questions point toward pretext, we build the case around the pattern. Bay Area juries are experienced at recognizing when "performance problems" conveniently appear right after a worker complains about discrimination, announces a pregnancy, or reports wage theft. The pattern speaks for itself. Call 1-888-442-2642 for a free evaluation of the specific facts in your situation.
Can I sue for wrongful termination as an undocumented worker?
Yes — you have the same legal rights as any other California worker. California's FEHA explicitly protects every worker in the state regardless of immigration status. Your employer cannot use your immigration situation as an excuse to terminate you illegally, and doing so constitutes an additional legal violation.
If your employer threatens to report you to immigration authorities to silence your complaint or prevent you from filing a lawsuit, that is illegal retaliation under California Labor Code Section 1019, carrying penalties of up to $10,000 per threat — entirely separate from your wrongful termination claim. We handle every case with absolute confidentiality. We never ask about immigration status and never share that information with anyone. Call 1-888-442-2642. Spanish and English.
Can I win a wrongful termination case without perfect proof?
Yes — and in fact most wrongful termination cases are won this way. Discriminating employers rarely leave direct evidence. They do not typically write emails saying "I fired you because of your race." What makes cases win is a clear pattern of circumstantial evidence: timing that is suspicious, a contrast between your performance record before and after a protected complaint, different treatment compared to coworkers, supervisor comments that reveal discriminatory attitudes, and an employer whose stated reasons do not hold up under scrutiny.
We have won cases that began with a worker telling us they had nothing. Through discovery, we obtained the internal emails, the comparative performance reviews, and the management communications that told the real story. If a pattern exists, we find it and build around it. Call 1-888-442-2642 for a free evaluation. The call is confidential and costs you nothing.
What should I do if I am offered a severance package to sign away my right to sue?
Do not sign anything before speaking with an employment attorney — this is one of the most important pieces of advice we give. If your employer is offering you money in exchange for signing a document that waives your right to sue, there is a straightforward reason: they know your case is worth more than what they are offering. Employers do not pay severance to be generous — they pay to protect themselves from a lawsuit that would cost them significantly more.
Before you accept any offer, you need an honest assessment of what your case is actually worth. Once you sign the agreement and accept the money, you typically lose the right to pursue your claims permanently. Our consultation is completely free and without any obligation. We will give you an honest evaluation of whether the offer is fair or whether pursuing a case would be worth more to you. Call 1-888-442-2642 before making any decision.
Related pages: Workplace Retaliation · Workplace Discrimination · Sexual Harassment · Wage Theft · Gender Discrimination · Pregnancy Discrimination
Sources and Verification
Every provision cited on this page can be read directly in the official sources below. If any of it changes, this page is corrected.
- California Labor Code § 2922 (at-will), § 1102.5 (whistleblower), § 98.6, § 6310, § 1019, §§ 201-203 (final pay and waiting-time penalty), §§ 230 and 230.1 — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- SB 497 (2023), Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act — 90-day presumption, effective January 1, 2024
- Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Government Code §§ 12900 et seq., including §§ 12940, 12945, 12960, and 12965
- Civil Code § 3294 (punitive damages); Bus. & Prof. Code § 17208 (four-year UCL period)
- California Civil Rights Department (CRD) — calcivilrights.ca.gov
- California Labor Commissioner / DLSE — dir.ca.gov/dlse
- EEOC, San Francisco District Office — eeoc.gov
- Tameny v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (1980) 27 Cal.3d 167
- Foley v. Interactive Data Corp. (1988) 47 Cal.3d 654
- Harris v. City of Santa Monica (2013) 56 Cal.4th 203
Last reviewed: October 2026. This page provides general information about California law and is not legal advice for your specific situation. An attorney-client relationship is formed only by a written agreement.
