I was an at-will employee in Pasadena. Can I still sue?

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

Do I have to file with the Civil Rights Department first?

For FEHA claims like 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 suit. Many Labor Code and public-policy claims do not require that step, so the path depends on your specific facts.

How long do I have to file a wrongful termination claim?

FEHA claims generally allow three years to file a CRD complaint and then one year from the right-to-sue notice to file in court. Public-policy claims generally carry a two-year deadline. Because the limit varies by claim, confirm yours early so a missed deadline does not end your case.

I suspect age discrimination but nothing was said directly. Is that enough?

It can be. Employers rarely admit age bias openly, so these cases often rely on circumstantial evidence such as patterns in who is replaced, shifting explanations, or comments over time. FEHA protects workers 40 and older, and a lawyer can help evaluate whether the evidence supports a claim.

What does it cost to pursue a case?

Wrongful termination cases are frequently handled on contingency, meaning the fee is a percentage of any recovery and there is typically no fee unless you win. Mihran M. Ghazaryan offers consultations in English, Armenian, and Russian to review your situation before you decide.

Pasadena Wrongful Termination Lawyer

Pasadena pairs a deep base of science, education, and professional employers with a thriving small-business and service economy. Whether you work in a research lab, a hospital, a hotel, or a storefront on Colorado Boulevard, a sudden firing can throw your finances and sense of stability into doubt. California is an at-will state, but at-will does not give an employer license to fire you for an illegal reason such as discrimination or retaliation. Attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan represents employees across the Pasadena area. He helps workers determine whether a termination crossed a legal line and what they may be able to recover. He offers consultations in English, Armenian, and Russian, and handles many wrongful termination cases on a contingency basis, so getting answers does not require paying up front.

Wrongful Termination matters in Pasadena

Pasadena's Knowledge Economy and Its Pressures

Pasadena's workforce leans heavily toward research and engineering, higher education, healthcare and major hospitals, biotech, professional and financial services, and a strong hospitality and tourism sector built around its hotels, museums, and the Rose Bowl. Many of these workplaces are credential-heavy and reputation-conscious, which can make terminations especially fraught when an employee believes the real reason was unlawful.

Wrongful termination here often shows up in subtle forms. A research employee is let go shortly after requesting medical leave for a serious condition. An older professional is replaced and told it was a reorganization. A hotel worker is fired weeks after complaining about unpaid wages. Under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), it is unlawful to terminate someone because of race, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Age discrimination in particular can be hard to spot because it is rarely stated openly, yet patterns in who is pushed out can tell the story.

Retaliation in Professional Workplaces

Even in polished work environments, retaliation happens. California Labor Code section 1102.5 protects employees who report what they reasonably believe is unlawful conduct, whether internally to management or to a government agency. It is illegal to fire a worker for refusing to participate in unlawful activity, for reporting harassment or wage violations, or for taking job-protected leave. When a firing follows soon after a complaint or a leave request, that timing can be a key piece of evidence.

California also recognizes the Tameny public-policy claim, which applies when a discharge violates a fundamental public policy, such as termination for filing a workers compensation claim or for serving on a jury.

Filing in Los Angeles County

Pasadena is within Los Angeles County, so employment lawsuits generally proceed through the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, with the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown serving as the central civil venue. Before filing a FEHA lawsuit, you ordinarily must submit a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) and obtain a right-to-sue notice. Public-policy claims do not require that administrative step.

What You Might Recover

A successful wrongful termination claim can 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 many statutes shift attorney fees to the employer. Because deadlines apply and evidence can disappear, an early conversation protects your rights.

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.