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Under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the state of California protects employees from unlawful retaliation for reporting discrimination, sexual harassment, or other kind of illegal activity in the workplace.  A recent California Supreme Court ruling greatly expanded employees rights to sue for retaliation for being a “whistleblower,” or a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company.  If your California employer has been retaliating against you for reporting unlawful behavior, contact an experienced Southern California employment law lawyer today.

In California, in order to establish a claim for retaliation, you, the employee, and your employment lawyer must establish that: 1) you engaged in “protected activity” (such as opposing unlawful conduct), 2) you were subjected to an “adverse employment action” because of that activity; and 3) you suffered damages as a result. You might be able to recover thousands of dollars in damages if you have been the victim of workplace retaliation.

California law prohibits employers or supervisors from terminating or otherwise taking material adverse action against employees for reporting unlawful conduct. Examples include reporting a health and safety violation that puts workers or the public at risk or that your company is not correctly paying its employees. The law also prohibits employers from taking adverse action against employees who refuse to engage in illegal activities. In order to qualify for protection, an employee must have a reasonable, good faith belief that the conduct at issue is unlawful.

If you are the victim of workplace retaliation or other unlawful behavior such as discrimination or harassment, contact a skilled Southern California employment lawyer today.