Los Angeles Wrongful Termination Lawyer

If you need a wrongful termination lawyer in Los Angeles, Mesriani Law Group is here to help. Losing your job is one of the most financially and emotionally devastating events a person can experience—and when that termination was illegal, you deserve an attorney who will fight to hold your employer accountable. California is an at-will employment state, but that does not give employers a license to fire employees for discriminatory, retaliatory, or otherwise illegal reasons. When they do, it is wrongful termination, and California law provides powerful remedies.

At Mesriani Law Group, our Los Angeles wrongful termination attorneys have over three decades of experience building cases for employees who were fired for the wrong reasons. We handle every case on a No Win, No Fee contingency basis. See our guide on California wrongful termination laws.

What Is Wrongful Termination Under California Law?

Wrongful termination—also called illegal dismissal or unlawful firing—occurs when an employer terminates an employee for a reason that violates California or federal law. California Labor Code § 2922 establishes at-will employment as the default rule, meaning most employees can be dismissed at any time for any legal reason or no reason at all. But the law carves out critical exceptions. See our blog on California employee termination laws.

Termination becomes wrongful when it violates any of the following:

• State or federal anti-discrimination statutes (FEHA, Title VII, ADEA, ADA)
• Anti-retaliation provisions protecting employees who exercise legal rights or report violations
• Public policy embodied in a California statute or constitutional provision
• An express or implied employment contract that limited the employer’s right to terminate
• The implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing

A critical point for at-will employees: at-will status does not shield an employer from a wrongful termination lawsuit. If the true reason for the firing was illegal—regardless of what the employer says—the termination is actionable. See our blog on can you be fired without warning in California.

Grounds for a Wrongful Termination Claim in California

See our blog on easy ways to detect wrongful termination. California recognizes several overlapping legal theories under which a termination may be actionable:

Discrimination-Based Termination

Terminating an employee because of a protected characteristic violates both FEHA and applicable federal law. FEHA prohibits terminations based on:

• Race, color, ancestry, and national origin
• Sex, gender, gender identity, and gender expression
• Sexual orientation
• Religion
• Age (40 and over)
• Physical and mental disability
• Medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics)
• Pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions
• Marital status
• Military and veteran status

Discrimination-based terminations are frequently disguised behind performance justifications that appear only after a protected characteristic becomes relevant to the employer. Relevant practice area guides: employment discrimination, age discrimination, disability discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, racial discrimination.

Retaliation-Based Termination

California law prohibits employers from firing employees for exercising legal rights or for engaging in protected activities. Common retaliation-based wrongful terminations include firing an employee for:

• Filing a workers’ compensation claim after a workplace injury
• Reporting discrimination, harassment, or FEHA violations to HR or the CRD
• Filing a wage claim or complaint with the Labor Commissioner
• Reporting a safety violation to Cal/OSHA
• Participating in a harassment or discrimination investigation
• Taking protected family or medical leave under CFRA or the FMLA
• Requesting a reasonable accommodation for a disability
• Exercising the right to vote or serve on jury duty

See our guide on employment retaliation in California and our blog on workplace retaliation in California.

Wrongful Discharge in Violation of Public Policy

Under the California Supreme Court’s Tameny doctrine, an employer who terminates an at-will employee for a reason that violates a fundamental public policy grounded in a California statute or constitutional provision commits a tort. This allows recovery of compensatory damages for emotional distress and punitive damages unavailable in a contract claim. Common public policy violations include firing an employee for refusing to commit an illegal act, for whistleblowing, or for filing a workers’ compensation claim. See our guide on wrongful discharge in violation of public policy and our blog on what is wrongful discharge in violation of public policy.

Breach of Employment Contract

At-will employment is the default, but it can be modified. A written employment agreement, offer letter, or employee handbook provision that limits termination to defined grounds—such as “for cause only”—creates a contractual obligation. Firing an employee in violation of those terms is a breach of contract. California courts also recognize implied employment contracts arising from an employer’s oral representations, policies, or conduct that created a reasonable expectation of job security.

Constructive Discharge

Wrongful termination does not require the employer to formally fire the employee. When an employer deliberately creates working conditions so intolerable—through sustained harassment, denial of accommodations, impossible performance standards, or active hostility—that a reasonable employee in the same position would have no choice but to resign, California courts treat that resignation as a constructive discharge. The legal consequences are the same as an outright termination. See our blog on constructive dismissal vs. wrongful termination in California.

Bad Faith and Employer Fraud

California recognizes wrongful termination claims arising from employer bad faith and fraud:

• Bad faith termination: Firing an employee to avoid paying earned commissions, vested bonuses, or equity; or replacing a veteran employee to hire cheaper labor while falsely characterizing the termination as performance-based
• Fraud in hiring: Inducing an employee to leave secure employment with false representations about salary, job duties, or company stability—then terminating before the promised terms are delivered

How to Recognize Signs of Wrongful Termination

Employers rarely say the illegal reason out loud. Common warning signs that a termination may be illegal include:

• Termination follows closely on the heels of a protected complaint, accommodation request, medical leave, or whistleblowing disclosure
• The stated reason for termination appeared for the first time after you engaged in a protected activity
• You received consistently positive performance reviews before the protected activity and suddenly negative ones after
• Other employees who did not engage in the protected activity were treated more favorably in similar circumstances
• Your employer refused to provide a written reason for the termination, or the stated reason is inconsistent or unsupported by documentation
• You were terminated shortly after disclosing a pregnancy, disability, or need for medical leave

How to Prove Wrongful Termination

Most wrongful termination claims are built from circumstantial evidence because employers rarely document their illegal motivations. See our blog on how to prove workplace retaliation. Key evidence includes:

• Pretext evidence: Documentation showing that the employer’s stated reason for termination is false or inconsistent—performance reviews that contradicted the stated reason, witnesses who observed different treatment of similarly situated employees, or a sudden fabricated performance problem
• Temporal proximity: A close time gap between a protected activity and the termination is strong circumstantial evidence of illegal motive. The shorter the gap, the more compelling the inference
• Comparator evidence: Documentation showing that employees who did not engage in the protected activity or do not share the protected characteristic were treated more favorably under similar circumstances
• Direct statements: Comments by supervisors reflecting discriminatory attitudes, hostile reactions to a protected complaint, or direct statements about the protected characteristic
• Documentary evidence: Emails, texts, performance records, disciplinary files, HR complaints, and internal communications that reflect the true motivation for the termination

What to Do Immediately After Being Wrongfully Terminated

1. Stay composed and do not retaliate: Avoid angry outbursts or statements that could be used against you. Your conduct in the moments after termination can affect your case.
2. Request the reason for termination in writing: Ask for a written explanation. If the employer refuses or provides a vague answer, that itself is evidence. Do not sign any termination agreement or severance release without first consulting an attorney.
3. Preserve all evidence immediately: Save emails, texts, performance reviews, HR complaints, and other documents to a personal device or email before losing access to work systems. Note the names of witnesses who observed relevant conduct.
4. Document the timeline: Record specific dates, incidents, protected activities, and changes in treatment while the details are fresh. Note every protected activity that preceded the termination and the time gap between it and the firing.
5. Do not post anything on social media: Statements about your employer or the termination on social media are frequently used by defense attorneys to undermine credibility or characterize the dispute.
6. Contact Mesriani Law Group: Our Los Angeles wrongful termination attorneys will evaluate your case, identify the applicable legal theories, assess your evidence, and guide you through the administrative and litigation process—at no upfront cost.

Filing Deadlines for Wrongful Termination Claims

Acting promptly is critical—filing windows are strict and missing a deadline may permanently bar your claim:

• FEHA discrimination or retaliation: File a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) within three years of the termination; one year to file a civil lawsuit after a right-to-sue notice
• Title VII / ADEA / ADA: File a charge with the EEOC within 300 days; 90 days to file a lawsuit after a right-to-sue notice
• Public policy tort (Tameny): Two to three years from the termination depending on the underlying statute
• Breach of written contract: Four years from the date of breach
• Breach of oral or implied contract: Two years from the date of breach
• Workers’ comp retaliation (Labor Code § 132a): One year to file with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board

What Compensation Can You Recover?

• Back pay: Wages, salary, bonuses, commissions, and benefits lost from the date of termination through judgment or settlement
• Front pay: Future lost earnings if reinstatement is not feasible or appropriate
• Compensatory damages: Emotional distress, anxiety, humiliation, and reputational harm caused by the termination—available under FEHA and tort theories with no cap under California law
• Punitive damages: Available for malicious, oppressive, or fraudulent employer conduct; no cap under California FEHA or public policy tort
• Reinstatement: A court order restoring your former position when reinstatement is feasible and appropriate
• Attorney’s fees and costs: Recoverable from the employer under FEHA, Title VII, ADEA, and ADA when the plaintiff prevails

Why Choose Mesriani Law Group as Your Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Los Angeles?

• Over 30 years representing Los Angeles employees in wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, and public policy cases throughout California
• Hundreds of millions of dollars recovered for clients across all forms of employment law violations
• Deep knowledge of all wrongful termination theories—FEHA discrimination, retaliation, Tameny public policy torts, breach of contract, constructive discharge, and bad faith
• Skilled at identifying pretext, building circumstantial evidence cases, and countering employer-manufactured justifications
• No Win, No Fee—you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you
• Available 24/7 in English, Spanish, and Farsi for a free, confidential consultation