OAKLAND EMPLOYER RETALIATION LAWYERS REPRESENTING WORKERS IN CIVIL LAW CASES

ATTORNEYS FIGHTING FOR WORKERS IN ALAMEDA COUNTY

Oakland Employer Retaliation Lawyer

  • Employers in California may not retaliate against an employee who files a discrimination or harassment claim, an employee who applies for workers’ compensation, or an employee who reports an illegal activity.
  • An award-winning law firm, the attorneys of Geonetta & Frucht, LLP have more than fifty years of combined legal experience fighting on behalf of the victims of employer retaliation.
  • An experienced lawyer at Geonetta & Frucht, LLP can offer honest legal advice, an aggressive legal strategy, and seek the best possible resolution of your claim.
  • Geonetta & Frucht, LLP is recognized by the Bay Area legal community – as well as our clients – as one of the top Bay Area law firms. Our lawyers have worked hard to earn our many positive reviews.
  • A lawyer with Geonetta & Frucht, LLP will fight aggressively for the best available monetary award or settlement for every client in Oakland.

If you believe you’ve been victimized by employer retaliation, contact our team for help.

Understanding Employer Retaliation

At Geonetta & Frucht, LLP, we represent clients who have faced unlawful employment retaliation in California. Employees have rights, and when employers violate these rights, we step in to provide strong legal support. Retaliation occurs when an employer takes adverse action against an employee for engaging in legally protected activities. In California, employees are legally protected from various forms of workplace retaliation, particularly when they stand up for their rights or report illegal activities. As experienced civil rights lawyers, we are dedicated to helping victims of retaliation seek justice and protect their civil rights. Understanding the different types of retaliation can help you recognize if you have been treated unfairly. Common types of employment retaliation include:

  • Wrongful Termination: If you have been fired after reporting workplace violations, discrimination, or harassment, this is a form of illegal retaliation. Employers cannot lawfully terminate employees for asserting their legal rights.
  • Demotion or Denied Promotions: Employers may retaliate by demoting employees or passing them over for promotions after they’ve reported misconduct or exercised their workplace rights, such as requesting reasonable accommodations.
  • Reduction in Pay or Hours: Employers may retaliate by cutting your pay, reducing your hours, or reassigning you to a less favorable position after you file a complaint or claim.
  • Hostile Work Environment: Retaliation can create a toxic work environment where the employee faces intimidation, isolation, or increased scrutiny after engaging in protected activity, such as whistleblowing.
  • Negative Performance Reviews: Retaliation may also include unjustified negative performance reviews or disciplinary actions aimed at discrediting the employee after they’ve exercised their rights.
  • Exclusion from Opportunities: Retaliation can take the form of exclusion from meetings, projects, or professional development opportunities, limiting your ability to advance within the company.

If you suspect any form of retaliation, contact our experienced Oakland civil law attorneys at Geonetta & Frucht, LLP. We are dedicated to protecting your rights and seeking justice on your behalf.

IS EMPLOYER RETALIATION AGAINST THE LAW IN CALIFORNIA?

Employers in this state are free to choose which employees they may hire and fire, provided that no employee in California is terminated for a reason that is illegal. For example, you cannot be fired from a job because of your race, ethnicity, religion, or disability. You can’t be fired for filing a discrimination or harassment claim or for taking the employer to court over wages or benefits that have not been paid. You can’t be fired if you file for bankruptcy. If you’ve been injured, you can’t be fired if you applied for workers’ compensation. And no one in California can be terminated for reporting an illegal activity or for refusing to engage in an illegal activity.

In California, if you are the person being terminated from your employment for any of these reasons, you are probably a victim of employer retaliation, and you need to act – right now. Consult an employer retaliation lawyer with Geonetta & Frucht, LLP immediately if you are terminated from your job, demoted, or denied benefits because an employer is retaliating against you. The attorneys at Geonetta & Frucht, LLP have half a century of combined legal experience fighting for the rights of employees in Alameda County, Santa Clara County, San Francisco, and throughout the state of California.

FOR WHAT REASONS DO EMPLOYERS RETALIATE AGAINST EMPLOYEES?

When a California employer retaliates against a worker, it is typically for one of two reasons: because the employee has reported or sued the employer for discrimination, harassment, or unpaid wages or benefits, or because the employee reported an employer’s crime to the police or otherwise exposed or “blew the whistle” on an employer’s criminal activity. Additionally, employers may not wrongly terminate or retaliate against employees who request or take legally protected leave, employees who file for bankruptcy, or employees who apply for or obtain workers’ compensation benefits.

And since 2016, California employers may not retaliate against employees who request a religious accommodation or an accommodation for a disability. Every incident of retaliation is unique, of course, so if you believe that you are a target of employer retaliation in this state, you will need to have a knowledgeable California employment lawyer sort out the facts and recommend your best course of action.

Employment Law in California

Under state law in California, workplace retaliation is unlawful if an employer punishes an employee for reporting illegal conduct, refusing to engage in illegal conduct, reporting fraud, filing a wage claim with the California Labor Commissioner, filing a discrimination lawsuit, complaining of workplace discrimination or harassment, or assisting other employees in filing a lawsuit or complaint of illegal activity in the workplace.

Federal Law

Federal law additionally protects a California employee from employer retaliation if the employee pursues a discrimination or harassment complaint with a federal agency like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). An employer cannot retaliate against an employee for cooperating with an EEOC investigation or even for testifying as a witness against the employer.

HOW CAN AN EMPLOYMENT LAW FIRM HELP WORKPLACE RETALIATION VICTIMS?

With over fifty years of combined legal experience, the attorneys at Geonetta & Frucht, LLP focus predominantly on employment law and employees’ rights. We counsel and represent clients in Alameda County, Santa Clara County, San Francisco, and throughout the Bay Area and the state of California. If you are a victim of workplace retaliation in California – now or at any time in the future – an Oakland employer retaliation attorney with Geonetta & Frucht, LLP will try to obtain a settlement for you outside of the courtroom. That’s the first step.

If an out-of-court settlement cannot be negotiated, we advocate aggressively on your behalf at trial, putting our decades of employment law experience to work on your behalf. We know how to assess your case, how to provide the representation you need, and how to win the justice you deserve. Both before and since our law firm was founded, the employment lawyers at Geonetta & Frucht, LLP have recovered more than $45 million in settlements and judgments for their clients.

Despite our record of success on behalf of clients, a variety of honors and recognition from our peers in the legal community, and decades of effectively handling employment rights and employer retaliation claims, we still offer every client outstanding personal service and treat every client with complete courtesy and consideration. If you have been terminated, demoted, or targeted for employer retaliation in some other way, get legal help at once.

You may be entitled to compensation as a result of the employer retaliation, and it will cost you nothing to learn more. Your first legal consultation with Geonetta & Frucht, LLP is free.  If you need justice, do not wait.

Contact an experienced Oakland civil law attorney at 510-250-2743 right away for the legal advice you need regarding any incident of employer retaliation in California.