How far back can I recover unpaid wages in Burbank?

California wage claims generally reach back three years, and up to four years under the Unfair Competition Law. Because some penalties carry shorter deadlines, acting promptly helps protect the oldest unpaid amounts.

I work on a salary or as a contractor — can I still get overtime?

Often, yes. Neither a salary nor a contractor label automatically removes your right to overtime. What matters is your real job duties and how the work is actually controlled. Misclassification is common in production and project-based roles.

How does California overtime differ from federal overtime?

California calculates overtime by the day. You earn 1.5x after 8 hours in a workday and 2x after 12 hours, in addition to the 40-hour weekly standard. Missed or interrupted meal and rest breaks also each trigger an hour of premium pay.

Should I file with the Labor Commissioner or in court?

You can choose either. The California Labor Commissioner (DLSE) provides an administrative claim process, while a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court may suit larger or complex cases. We can review your facts and recommend the right path.

What will a wage claim cost me?

Most unpaid-wage cases are handled on contingency, with no upfront fee. California law also shifts attorney's fees onto an employer who broke the wage laws, so a prevailing employee can often have those fees paid by the employer.

Burbank Wage and Hour Lawyer

Burbank's studios, production-support companies, retail centers, and healthcare and aviation employers run on long, irregular hours — conditions where unpaid overtime and skipped breaks are common. If your employer misclassified you as exempt or as a contractor, kept you working off the clock, denied your meal or rest breaks, or withheld your final paycheck, California law may entitle you to back wages and penalties. Attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan represents Burbank employees, not employers. California guarantees daily overtime, premium pay for missed breaks, and attorney's fees shifted onto a violating employer. Most cases run on contingency, so there is nothing to pay up front. Consultations available in English, Armenian, and Russian.

Unpaid Wages & Overtime matters in Burbank

Burbank's wage-vulnerable industries

Burbank is the "Media Capital," and much of its workforce supports film, television, and post-production — along with the catering, transportation, equipment, and crew-services companies that orbit the studios. Production work is famous for long days, last-minute schedule changes, and the "independent contractor" label, all of which raise daily-overtime and misclassification questions. Beyond media, Burbank has a strong retail presence, a regional airport and aviation-services sector, and healthcare employers, each with its own pattern of off-the-clock work and interrupted meal periods.

This is general context about the industries themselves, not an allegation against any particular Burbank business. It describes where California wage law and ordinary scheduling practices most frequently collide.

What California requires

California overtime is daily. You earn 1.5x your regular rate after 8 hours in a workday and after 40 hours in a week, and 2x after 12 hours in one day. If you are non-exempt, you are owed an uninterrupted 30-minute meal period before the end of the fifth hour and paid 10-minute rest breaks. A missed, late, or interrupted meal or rest break entitles you to one hour of premium pay for that day.

A salary, by itself, does not make you exempt — exemption depends on your real duties and a minimum salary level. Labeling a worker "exempt," or calling an employee an "independent contractor" to dodge overtime, is misclassification, and it is especially worth examining for project- and production-based roles. Off-the-clock work is compensable however the hours are logged.

Final pay and the LA County courts

When employment ends, California requires prompt final payment. An employer's willful failure to pay everything owed triggers waiting-time penalties under Labor Code §203, up to 30 days of extra wages. Wage claims generally reach back three years, and up to four years under the Unfair Competition Law.

Burbank is in Los Angeles County, so a court wage lawsuit would generally be filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. You may instead bring an administrative claim through the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE). Attorney Ghazaryan can help you decide which path fits your situation.

Cost and next steps

Because California shifts wage-case attorney's fees onto a violating employer, these claims are usually handled on contingency — no upfront cost, payment from a recovery or fee award. Save your pay stubs, call sheets, and schedules, and ask for a confidential review of what your employer may owe you in wages and penalties.

How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with unpaid wages & overtime

Mihran M. Ghazaryan reconstructs what you were actually owed from pay stubs, schedules, and the hours you really worked — the overtime, off-the-clock time, and missed breaks an employer hoped you wouldn't track. He tests a 'salaried' or 'contractor' label against your real duties, and pursues the penalties California stacks on top of unpaid wages. These cases are typically contingency, with fees often shifted onto the employer that broke the law.

Types of wage and hour claims we handle

Unpaid overtime & off-the-clock work

California overtime starts after 8 hours in a day (not just 40 in a week), plus double-time rules. Work performed before clocking in or after clocking out is compensable.

Meal & rest break violations

Employees are generally owed a 30-minute meal period and paid rest breaks; missed or interrupted breaks trigger premium pay.

Misclassification & final pay

Being labeled 'exempt' or an independent contractor to avoid overtime, and waiting-time penalties when final wages aren't paid on time.

What you may be able to recover

Every wage claim case is different, but California law lets wronged employees pursue several categories of relief. We document each one — pay records, performance reviews, communications — so nothing is left on the table.

Back pay and lost benefits

Wages, commissions, and benefits you lost from the date of the wrongful act — a core remedy in wrongful-termination and discrimination claims.

Front pay

Future earnings you're likely to lose when reinstatement isn't realistic, measured until you can reasonably be expected to find comparable work.

Emotional distress

Compensation for the anxiety, humiliation, and harm to wellbeing that unlawful treatment at work can cause.

Penalties and punitive damages

Statutory penalties for wage violations, and — where an employer acted with malice or oppression — punitive damages meant to deter the conduct.

Attorney's fees and costs

Many California employment statutes shift the employee's reasonable attorney's fees and costs onto an employer that broke the law.

Reinstatement and policy change

Where it fits the case, getting your job back or forcing the employer to correct the practice that harmed you.

How we work

Free, confidential consultation

We listen first and tell you plainly whether you appear to have a claim. The conversation is confidential and there's no fee to have it — and we're careful if you're still employed.

Preserve the record

Offer letters, handbooks, performance reviews, emails and texts, pay stubs, and a dated timeline. The contemporaneous record is what wins an employment case, so we lock it down early.

Administrative exhaustion and the demand

FEHA claims generally require a complaint with the Civil Rights Department and a right-to-sue notice first. We handle that step, then present a documented demand to the employer.

Litigation when necessary

Many matters resolve through negotiation or mediation. When an employer won't be reasonable, we file and prepare the case fully — which is usually what moves the number.

What to do right away

Keep your pay stubs, schedules, and any record of hours actually worked.

Note when you missed or were interrupted during meal and rest breaks.

Save communications about your classification, duties, and pay.

Don't rely on memory alone — contemporaneous records drive these claims.

Talk to a lawyer about whether to file with the Labor Commissioner or in court.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.