How far back can I recover unpaid wages in Pasadena?

Most California wage claims reach back three years, and up to four years when brought under the Unfair Competition Law. Some penalties carry shorter deadlines, so it helps to act before the oldest amounts fall outside the limit.

I'm paid a salary — does that block me from overtime?

No. A salary alone does not make you exempt. Exemption depends on your real job duties and a minimum salary threshold. Many salaried Pasadena employees are misclassified and are entitled to overtime they were never paid.

How is California overtime different from federal overtime?

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

Can I use the Labor Commissioner instead of a lawsuit?

Yes. The California Labor Commissioner (DLSE) handles administrative wage claims. A court lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court may be a better fit for larger or more complex cases. We can review your facts and recommend the best route.

What does it cost to bring a wage claim?

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

Pasadena Wage and Hour Lawyer

Pasadena's hospitals, hotels, restaurants, research labs, and retail corridors employ thousands — and when those employees are denied overtime or breaks, California law is on their side. If you were misclassified as exempt or as a contractor, worked off the clock, lost meal or rest periods, or never received your final paycheck on time, you may be owed back wages and penalties. Attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan represents Pasadena employees, not employers. California gives you daily overtime, premium pay for missed breaks, and attorney's fees shifted onto an employer who broke the law. Most wage cases run on contingency, so nothing is owed up front. Consultations available in English, Armenian, and Russian.

Unpaid Wages & Overtime matters in Pasadena

Where wage problems surface in Pasadena

Pasadena combines a large healthcare presence, a hospitality and tourism sector built around Old Town, the Rose Bowl, and the convention trade, a research and higher-education economy, and busy retail along Colorado Boulevard and the surrounding districts. Healthcare and senior-care roles are a frequent source of missed-meal-period and automatic-deduction problems, where breaks are interrupted by patient needs but still subtracted from pay. Hotels and restaurants generate off-the-clock and tip-and-overtime disputes, especially around large events. Administrative and assistant roles are where "salaried, so no overtime" misclassification often hides.

This is general industry context, not a claim about any specific Pasadena employer. It simply reflects where California's wage protections and ordinary workplace habits most often come into conflict.

Your rights under California law

California overtime is calculated 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 a single day. Non-exempt employees are entitled to an uninterrupted 30-minute meal period before the end of the fifth hour and to paid 10-minute rest breaks. Every missed, shortened, or interrupted meal or rest break adds one hour of premium pay for that day.

A salary by itself does not make you exempt; exemption depends on your actual duties and a minimum salary level. Calling a worker "exempt," or labeling an employee an "independent contractor" to avoid paying overtime, is misclassification. Off-the-clock work — answering messages, prepping before a shift, finishing after clock-out — is compensable no matter how it is recorded.

Final pay and the LA County courts

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

Pasadena is in Los Angeles County, so a court wage lawsuit would typically be filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. Alternatively, you can bring an administrative claim with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE). Attorney Ghazaryan can advise which forum fits your case.

Cost and next steps

California shifts wage-case attorney's fees onto a violating employer, so these matters are usually handled on contingency — no upfront fee, payment from a recovery or fee award. Keep your pay stubs and schedules and ask for a confidential review of what you may be owed.

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.