La Habra

As of 2010, the city of La Habra, had a population of 60,239 across 7.4 square miles in the northwest part of Orange County. The city's name means "opening through the hills." The median household income was $60,954. Large notable employers include CVS Pharmacy, Wal-Mart, Wolverine Fence Co., the city, Costco, Target, Amazon Fresh, and Advance Fire Protection, Inc. If you faced discrimination, harassment, retaliation or wage and hour violations, you should retain an experienced La Habra employment law attorney. The Calderone Law Firm has fought for workers' rights for many years and can work to put insights gained over that time to achieve favorable results in your case.

Federal, state, and local laws prohibit employment discrimination based on a range of characteristics. The state law, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), tends to provide the greatest amount of protection against discrimination, since it applies to smaller employers and lists a wider range of traits than federal law. FEHA-protected traits include color, race, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, age (40 and older), sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions. Discrimination occurs when an employer takes an adverse action against you based on a protected trait. For example, you might have a claim if your boss demoted you after finding out you were transitioning to a different gender.

Nonexempt employees in La Habra must be paid according to certain federal and state wage and hour laws that pertain to minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, equipment, and uniforms. Employers that fail to abide by these rules when it comes to nonexempt employees can be held accountable in a lawsuit. In some cases, employers misclassify workers not as the nonexempt employees that they are under the law, but as exempt employees or independent contractors, who do not receive the same protections. Luckily, your employer doesn't have the last word on whether you're a nonexempt employee; whether you are a nonexempt employee who deserves certain protections depends on whether you meet the legal definitions.

Common violations include failure to pay a nonexempt employee minimum wage or request that nonexempt employees work off the clock. The violations may not result in significant enough damages to bring an individual lawsuit. However, it may be appropriate for similarly situated employees to band together in a class action wage and hour lawsuit against an employer. Our firm has experience handling these cases on behalf of workers.

Federal and California whistleblower protection lawsprevent companies from retaliating against employees that come forward to report suspected legal, regulatory or public policy violations. It can be tremendously unnerving to go up against your employer who has acted illegally or against public policy, particularly if your income is already precarious. You may rightly fear that your employer will retaliate against you in a way that threatens your ability to make a living. However, seeking legal counsel to determine your legal options as a whistleblower facing retaliation may help you alleviate some of those concerns.

You should be aware that so long as you report your employer for wrongdoing with a reasonable good faith belief in the wrongdoing, you receive whistleblower protections, even if it turns out you were incorrect. For example, if you report a wage and hour violation to the Labor Commissioner, but it turns out you were wrong that it was a legal violation, you would still be protected against retaliation so long as you reasonably believed it was a legal violation when you reported it.

It's normal to feel worried about going up against an employer in court. It's crucial to retain a knowledgeable and tenacious lawyer to protect your rights and interests. If you need to pursue an employment lawsuit in La Habra, call Calderone Law Firm. Vincent Calderone, the founder of the Calderone Law Firm, has more than two decades of experience effectively litigating employment lawsuits. Please contact us online or call us at (424) 348-8290.