Employment Law matters in Pasadena
Pasadena's economy is unusually knowledge-driven. The city and its surroundings are known for scientific research and engineering, a strong higher-education and academic presence, and a cluster of technology and professional-services firms — set alongside major hospitals and healthcare systems, a robust hospitality and tourism sector built around events and conventions, and the restaurants and retail that fill Old Pasadena and Colorado Boulevard. That combination means we see everything from disputes over a research professional's accommodation request to unpaid overtime in a busy kitchen.
MMG Law Firm represents employees only. Whether you wear a badge or an apron, your rights under California law are the same.
What we handle for Pasadena employees
- Wrongful termination, including firings that violate public policy, such as retaliation for taking protected leave or reporting misconduct
- Discrimination and harassment based on race, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age (40+), disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more
- Retaliation and whistleblower claims when you are punished for raising concerns or asserting your legal rights
- Unpaid wages and overtime, salary misclassification, off-the-clock work, unpaid breaks, and late final-pay penalties
How California law works in your favor
California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is broader than federal law, covers most employers with five or more employees, and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Remedies can include back pay, front pay, emotional-distress damages, and punitive damages in serious cases. The California Labor Code separately guarantees overtime, meal and rest breaks, and timely final pay. A key feature of California law is fee-shifting: in many employment claims, a prevailing employee can recover attorney's fees from the employer, which levels the playing field against a well-resourced institution.
The CRD process and your deadlines
Most FEHA claims require an administrative step first. You file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) and obtain a right-to-sue notice before filing suit. You generally have three years to file with the CRD (Gov. Code §12960) and one year after the right-to-sue notice to file in court. Wage claims follow a separate timeline — generally three years under the Labor Code and up to four under the unfair-competition law. Because these deadlines are strict, early advice matters.
Pasadena employment cases are generally filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
What to do next
- Preserve emails, performance reviews, pay records, and your handbook
- Write down what happened, including dates and witnesses
- Do not sign a severance or release agreement without having it reviewed
- Reach out for a free, confidential consultation
We assist clients in English, Armenian, and Russian.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with employment law
Mihran M. Ghazaryan starts with a confidential review of what happened and tells you plainly whether you have a claim. He helps you preserve the record that wins employment cases — the emails, reviews, and timeline — handles the Civil Rights Department complaint and right-to-sue process, and holds the employer to California's strong protections for employees. Where it fits, his fee comes only from a recovery.
Types of workplace matters we handle
Wrongful termination
Firings that violate the FEHA, retaliate for protected activity, or breach California public policy — including terminations dressed up as layoffs or performance issues.
Discrimination and harassment
Adverse treatment or a hostile environment based on a protected class — race, sex, age, disability, religion, national origin, pregnancy, and more — under the FEHA.
Retaliation and whistleblower claims
Punishment for reporting harassment, unsafe conditions, or unlawful conduct, or for taking protected leave. California law protects employees who speak up.
Unpaid wages and overtime
Off-the-clock work, missed meal and rest breaks, misclassification, and unpaid final wages — Labor Code claims that carry penalties on top of the wages owed.
Remedies
What you may be able to recover
Every workplace matter 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
- 1
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.
- 2
Preserve the record
Offer letters, handbooks, performance reviews, emails and texts, pay stubs, and a timeline of events. The contemporaneous record is what wins or loses an employment case, so we lock it down early.
- 3
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.
- 4
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 down a dated timeline of what happened while it's fresh.
- Save copies of relevant documents to a personal (non-work) account — offer letter, reviews, emails, texts, pay records.
- Keep notes of who said what, when, and who else was present.
- Be careful about signing severance or release agreements before they're reviewed — deadlines to accept are usually negotiable.
- Report harassment or discrimination through your employer's stated process where it's safe to do so.
- Talk to a lawyer before resigning — quitting can change the claim and the remedies available.
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.
Deadlines that matter
Most California FEHA claims require a complaint with the Civil Rights Department first — generally within three years of the discrimination, harassment, or retaliation (Gov. Code §12960). You then have one year from the right-to-sue notice to file in court.
Other employment deadlines run on their own clocks — unpaid-wage claims generally reach back three years (up to four under the UCL), and a wrongful-termination-in-violation-of-public- policy claim runs two years. Federal EEOC charges can be far shorter.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.