Do I need to file with the CRD before suing my Irvine employer?

For most FEHA claims — discrimination, harassment, and retaliation — yes. You generally must file an administrative complaint with California's Civil Rights Department and receive a right-to-sue notice before going to court. You typically have up to three years to file with the CRD and one year after the notice to sue. Wage and commission claims may instead proceed through the Labor Commissioner or court.

My employer refuses to pay commissions or a bonus I earned. Can I recover them?

Possibly. California generally treats earned commissions, and certain bonuses, as wages that must be paid, and a written commission agreement is often required. Whether a specific amount is owed depends on the plan terms and when the commission was earned. We can review your commission or bonus plan and the facts to assess what you may be owed.

I was let go in a reorganization. Could that still be wrongful termination?

It can be. An employer cannot use a layoff or reorganization to disguise discrimination, retaliation, or another unlawful motive. If the timing, the people selected, or the stated reasons suggest an improper basis, there may be a claim even though the termination was labeled a business decision. We can review the circumstances and the employer's explanation.

I signed a separation agreement with a release. Is it too late to get advice?

Not necessarily. A signed separation or severance agreement does not automatically end your options, and certain terms may be limited or unenforceable depending on what you waived. We can review the agreement, including any release and non-disparagement terms, and explain its effect. Bring the complete document to your consultation.

What does an employment lawyer cost in Irvine?

We offer a free, confidential consultation, and many employee-side cases are handled on contingency, meaning no upfront fee. California's FEHA and several wage statutes also let prevailing employees recover attorney's fees from the employer. We will explain the fee arrangement that applies to your specific case before you decide anything.

Irvine Employment Lawyer

Irvine is a master-planned business hub, home to corporate headquarters, technology and finance firms, and a dense cluster of professional-services and white-collar employers. A polished office and a comfortable salary do not exempt any company from California's employment laws. MMG Law Firm helps Irvine professionals and staff enforce their rights, offering a free and confidential consultation and no upfront fee for employee-side cases.

Employment Law matters in Irvine

Irvine was designed as a corporate center, and its workforce skews toward the professional and white-collar. The city hosts company headquarters and regional offices across technology, finance and banking, real estate, healthcare administration, and a broad range of professional-services firms, along with a significant base of higher-education and research employment. In office and corporate settings, the legal issues look different from shift work: bonus and commission disputes, executive separations, performance-improvement plans used as cover, restrictive agreements, and discrimination or retaliation that hides behind reorganizations and "fit" rationales.

MMG Law Firm represents employees, never the corporations they work for. Attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan handles wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, retaliation and whistleblower claims, and unpaid wage, commission, and overtime disputes for Irvine and Orange County workers. We can communicate with clients in English, Armenian, and Russian.

Issues common in corporate and professional workplaces

Wrongful termination, including separations during reorganizations that mask discrimination, retaliation, or another unlawful motive behind an "at-will" label
Discrimination and harassment based on a protected class — including age (40+), national origin, sex, pregnancy, disability, and religion
Retaliation and whistleblower claims for reporting fraud, financial or securities issues, harassment, or wage violations
Unpaid wages, commissions, and bonuses, plus disputes over exempt classification and earned-but-unpaid compensation

How California protects employees

California's employment protections are among the strongest in the country and apply to most Irvine employers. The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) bars discrimination, harassment, and retaliation tied to a protected characteristic and requires a good-faith interactive process for disability accommodations. The Labor Code separately guarantees minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, and the prompt payment of wages, and California law treats earned commissions and certain bonuses as wages that must be paid. Remedies can include back pay, front pay, emotional-distress damages, statutory penalties, and in some cases punitive damages, and FEHA allows prevailing employees to recover attorney's fees.

The CRD process and deadlines

Most FEHA claims begin with an administrative complaint to California's Civil Rights Department (CRD, formerly the DFEH). You generally have up to three years from the violation to file under Government Code §12960, then one year from your right-to-sue notice to file in court. Wage and commission claims run on separate timelines — generally three years of back wages, or up to four under the Unfair Competition Law — and may be pursued through the Labor Commissioner or in court. Employment lawsuits for Irvine workers are typically filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange.

What to do next

Save your offer letter, commission or bonus plan, handbook, and any agreements you signed
Keep performance reviews, emails, and pay and compensation records
Do not sign a separation, severance, or release agreement before having it reviewed
Contact a lawyer early, since deadlines are strict and executive and commission questions can be time-sensitive

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.

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

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 timeline of events. The contemporaneous record is what wins or loses 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 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.