SERVING ALL OF
CALIFORNIA
Employment Law
When your employer violates your rights, the impact goes far beyond the workplace. Lost income, emotional distress, and uncertainty about your future can be overwhelming. At The Barone Firm, we fight for employees who have been wronged by their employers.
California law provides strong protections for workers, and we are here to make sure those protections work for you.
Attorney Charlotte Barone represents employees throughout California in a wide range of employment disputes. Whether you were fired without cause, harassed at work, or punished for doing the right thing, we will pursue the justice and compensation you deserve.
Wrongful Termination
California is an at-will employment state, but that does not mean your employer can fire you for any reason. It is illegal to terminate an employee for discriminatory reasons, in retaliation for exercising legal rights, or in violation of public policy. If you were fired and believe the reason was unlawful, you may have a wrongful termination claim.
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Common examples of wrongful termination include being fired after reporting unsafe working conditions, being let go shortly after disclosing a pregnancy or medical condition, or being terminated after filing a complaint about workplace harassment or
discrimination.
Workplace Discrimination
California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country. It prohibits employers from making job-related decisions based on a wide range of protected characteristics. If your employer treated you differently, passed you over for promotion, demoted you, or terminated you because of who you are, that is illegal.
Protected Characteristics Under California Law
We handle discrimination claims based on all characteristics protected under the FEHA, including:
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Race, color, and ethnicity
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National origin and ancestry
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Sex, gender, and gender identity or expression
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Sexual orientation
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Age (40 and older)
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Disability (physical and mental)
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Medical condition
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Pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions
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Religion and creed
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Marital status
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Military or veteran status
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Genetic information
Discrimination is not always obvious. It can take the form of biased comments, patterns of exclusion, unequal pay, or pretextual reasons for adverse employment actions. We know how to identify and prove discrimination even when an employer tries to hide it.
Harassment & Hostile Work Environment
Every employee has the right to a workplace free from harassment. When unwelcome conduct based on a protected characteristic becomes severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile, intimidating, or offensive work environment, it violates California law. This includes sexual harassment as well as harassment based on race, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic.
Harassment can come from supervisors, coworkers, or even third parties such as clients or vendors. Your employer has a legal obligation to prevent and address harassment. If they failed to protect you, they can be held accountable.
Retaliation
It is illegal for your employer to punish you for asserting your legal rights. Retaliation occurs when an employer takes adverse action against an employee for engaging in protected activity, such as reporting discrimination or harassment, requesting accommodations for a disability, taking medical or family leave, filing a workers' compensation claim, or participating in a workplace investigation.
Retaliation can take many forms beyond termination, including demotion, pay cuts, schedule changes, exclusion from projects, unwarranted discipline, or creating conditions designed to force you to quit. If your employer treated you worse after you
stood up for your rights, we want to hear from you.
Whistleblower Claims
California provides strong protections for employees who report illegal activity by their employer. Whether you reported violations of state or federal law, refused to participate in unlawful conduct, or disclosed information to a government agency, you are protected from retaliation under California's whistleblower laws.
Whistleblower cases can involve a wide range of employer misconduct, from fraud and safety violations to wage theft and regulatory noncompliance. If you were fired, demoted, or otherwise punished for speaking up, you may be entitled to significant compensation, including lost wages, emotional distress damages, and in some cases, punitive damages.
Why Choose The Barone Firm
Employment disputes are personal, and we treat them that way. At The Barone Firm, you will work directly with Attorney Charlotte Barone — not a paralegal, not a junior associate. We take the time to understand your situation, explain your options clearly, and build the strongest possible case on your behalf. We are not afraid to take on large employers and their legal teams. Every client deserves aggressive, dedicated representation, and that is exactly what we provide.
