Wrongful Termination & Wage Theft
Losing your job or your hard-earned wages is a stressful and sometimes traumatic experience. However, if you were terminated illegally or your wages have been unfairly withheld, you may be entitled to compensation.
If you have been wrongfully terminated or your wages are being withheld illegally, you should explore those rights and find your options. At Lara & Luna, APC, we can help! We know how important your job and your wages are to you and your family. We are here to ensure that you have every opportunity to protect your rights and financial stability.
What is a Wrongful Termination?
It is illegal to terminate someone for an illegal reason, such as their race, gender, religion, disability, or age. It is also illegal to terminate someone who is a whistleblower based on their blowing the whistle.
What is Wage Theft?
All employees in California have a right to be paid the wages that they have earned. Unfortunately, sometimes employers do not make sure this happens, or they intentionally withhold wages. Wage theft is the nonpayment or underpayment of an employee’s wages.
That includes:
- Not paying an employee minimum wage or overtime wages
- Cheating workers out of hours
- Forcing workers to work off the clock
- Misclassifying workers as contractors to avoid paying full wages
- Making inappropriate deductions from a workers’ paycheck
- Refusing to provide Meal and Rest Breaks
What is Wage Theft?
- Not paying an employee minimum wage or overtime wages
- Cheating workers out of hours
- Forcing workers to work off the clock
- Misclassifying workers as contractors to avoid paying full wages
- Making inappropriate deductions from a workers’ paycheck
- Refusing to provide Meal and Rest Breaks
Understanding Your Rights
California Labor Law requires employers to act in a way that is legal, fair, and ethical. When they fail to do so or act in bad faith, they can (and should) be held accountable. If you think you have been wrongfully terminated or are a victim of wage theft, it is imperative to get legal help quickly. There may be time limits for filing a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), California Labor Commissioner’s Office, or other agencies.
Wage Theft is a crime, one that many employers feel confident that they can get away with committing. If you believe you are a victim of wage theft, you must start the documentation process early. Keep a record of the time you work and compare it to your paystub, write down any rest and meal breaks refused, and overtime or off-the-clock work that you completed.
The best way to find out whether you have a case and your legal options are to contact the employment law experts at Lara & Luna, APC. We will review your situation and help you determine what the best course of action is. If there are deadlines, we will help make sure your claim is filed in time. From start to finish, our team will stand by you every step of the way.
Let us help you protect your rights and stand up to your boss.
Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
Contact Us
Lara & Luna, APC is a firm full of attorneys that will stand up to your boss. If you have an employment law issue, contact us today. We offer free case evaluations.
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Buena Park, CA 90620