California is at-will. Can I still sue for wrongful termination?

Yes. At-will means either side can end the job for many reasons, but it is never a defense to an illegal firing. If you were let go because of a protected characteristic under FEHA, in retaliation for protected activity such as whistleblowing under Labor Code 1102.5, or in violation of public policy, the at-will rule does not shield the employer.

Do I have to file with a government agency before suing in Los Angeles?

For FEHA claims (discrimination, harassment, or FEHA retaliation), yes. You must file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department and obtain a right-to-sue notice before filing in court. Public-policy and many Labor Code claims do not require that administrative step, so the correct path depends on your specific facts.

How long do I have to act?

For FEHA claims you generally have three years to file a CRD complaint, then one year from the right-to-sue notice to file a lawsuit. Common-law public-policy claims generally carry a two-year deadline. Because these timelines vary by claim, it is best to confirm yours early rather than risk losing the case to the clock.

What can I recover in a Los Angeles wrongful termination case?

Depending on the facts, you may recover back pay for wages already lost, front pay for future earnings, and damages for emotional distress. Where the employer acted with malice or oppression, punitive damages may be available, and several statutes allow recovery of attorney fees from the employer.

What does it cost to hire a wrongful termination lawyer?

These cases are frequently handled on a contingency basis, meaning the attorney fee is a percentage of any recovery and there is typically no fee unless the case succeeds. Mihran M. Ghazaryan offers consultations in English, Armenian, and Russian to review your situation before you commit to anything.

Los Angeles Wrongful Termination Lawyer

Losing your job in Los Angeles can feel like the ground shifting beneath you, especially in a city where rent, commutes, and the cost of living leave little margin for a sudden loss of income. California is an at-will state, but at-will does not mean an employer can fire you for an unlawful reason. If you were let go because of who you are, because you reported wrongdoing, or because you exercised a legal right, the termination may be illegal under state law. Attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan represents employees, not employers, across Los Angeles. He helps workers understand whether their firing crossed a legal line and what they may be able to recover. Consultations are available in English, Armenian, and Russian, and wrongful termination cases are often handled on a contingency basis.

Wrongful Termination matters in Los Angeles

A Diverse Economy Where Terminations Take Many Forms

Los Angeles has one of the most varied labor markets in the country. Workers here are spread across entertainment and media production, healthcare and hospital systems, logistics and warehousing tied to the ports, garment and manufacturing, hospitality and food service, retail, tech and startups, and a vast public sector. That diversity means wrongful termination looks different from one workplace to the next. A post-production coordinator pushed out after requesting medical leave, a warehouse associate fired days after reporting a safety hazard, and a hospital staffer let go after complaining about unpaid overtime can all have valid claims under the same California statutes.

What ties these situations together is the legal standard. Under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), it is unlawful to fire someone because of a protected characteristic such as race, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. It is also illegal to terminate an employee in retaliation for protected activity, such as reporting discrimination, raising a safety concern, or objecting to wage theft.

Retaliation and Whistleblower Protections

Many Los Angeles terminations are not framed as discrimination at all. They follow an employee speaking up. California Labor Code section 1102.5 protects workers who report what they reasonably believe is a violation of law, whether to a supervisor or a government agency. An employer cannot lawfully fire you for refusing to participate in illegal conduct, for reporting harassment, or for taking protected family or medical leave. When a firing follows close on the heels of that kind of protected activity, the timing itself can be powerful evidence.

There is also the public-policy claim recognized in Tameny v. Atlantic Richfield. If your discharge violated a fundamental public policy, such as being fired for serving on a jury or for filing a workers compensation claim, you may have a separate basis to sue.

Where Los Angeles Cases Are Heard

Most Los Angeles County employment lawsuits are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, with the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown serving as the central civil hub. FEHA claims generally require a first step before court: filing a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) and obtaining a right-to-sue notice. Public-policy claims follow a different track and do not require that administrative step.

What You May Recover

A successful wrongful termination case can return lost wages already missed (back pay) and future earnings (front pay), along with compensation for emotional distress. In cases involving especially egregious conduct, punitive damages may be available, and many statutes shift attorney fees to the employer. Because deadlines apply and evidence fades, it helps to talk with a lawyer sooner rather than later.

How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with wrongful termination

Mihran M. Ghazaryan looks past the reason the employer wrote down to the one that actually drove the firing. He reconstructs the timeline — your reviews before, what changed, who decided, and what was said — preserves the paper trail, and handles the Civil Rights Department step where it applies. He tells you honestly whether 'at-will' is a real defense in your case or a cover, and pursues the back pay, front pay, and emotional-distress damages the law allows.

Types of wrongful termination cases we handle

Retaliation

Fired after reporting harassment, discrimination, unsafe conditions, or wage violations — or after taking protected leave. The timing itself is often powerful evidence.

Discrimination-based firing

Terminations driven by race, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, or national origin, often dressed up as a layoff or a sudden performance problem.

Public-policy and whistleblower terminations

Being fired for refusing to break the law, for jury duty, or for reporting illegal conduct (Labor Code §1102.5).

What you may be able to recover

Every wrongful termination 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

Write a dated timeline of what happened while it's fresh.

Save offer letters, reviews, emails, texts, and pay records to a personal (non-work) account.

Don't sign a severance or release before it's reviewed — the deadline is usually negotiable.

Note who made the decision and what reason they gave, in writing if possible.

Talk to a lawyer before resigning — quitting can change the claim.

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.