Los Angeles Workplace Retaliation Lawyer

Our Los Angeles office is at 660 S. Figueroa Street, Sky Lobby, downtown. The intake team is available 24/7, by phone or online, and hablamos español. We meet clients at the office by appointment. See our Los Angeles office page and our Los Angeles employment lawyers page for the other workplace cases we handle.

Retaliation cases our team resolved in Los Angeles County:

• $1 million (2024, Los Angeles County): an employee alleged being fired weeks after reporting harassment and wage violations; the employer said the position was eliminated.
• $170,250 (2026, Torrance): a care facility employee alleged being fired the same day the employee reported medication-handling concerns and racial mistreatment to corporate.

See more on our settlements and verdicts page. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different.

The Labor Commissioner takes retaliation complaints under the Labor Code, such as being punished for a wage complaint or a whistleblower report, within one year (Lab. Code § 98.7(a)). You can file online, on paper, by mail or in person; the Los Angeles office is at 320 W. Fourth Street, Suite 450, and you don't need a Social Security number or photo ID to file online.

The Civil Rights Department takes complaints under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, such as retaliation for reporting harassment or discrimination or for requesting an accommodation. File within three years of the last harm, online through the California Civil Rights System, by phone, by mail or in person; CRD's Los Angeles office is at 320 West 4th Street, 10th Floor. If you want to go straight to court, you can ask for an immediate right-to-sue notice, but CRD then won't investigate.

The EEOC handles federal claims from its Los Angeles District Office at 255 E. Temple Street. Retaliation was alleged in 61.6% of the charges the EEOC received in fiscal 2025, more than any other basis.

City and county wage laws. In unincorporated Los Angeles County, the County's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs enforces local worker laws, including the county minimum wage, Fair Workweek and health-and-safety retaliation rules, and takes retaliation complaints. Under the county's Fair Workweek ordinance for large retailers, an adverse action within 90 days of protected activity is presumed to be retaliation. The City of Los Angeles enforces its own wage ordinances through its Office of Wage Standards.

The court. Employment lawsuits in Los Angeles County can be filed in the Central District, which includes the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 N. Hill Street, or in the district where the job was performed or where the employer does business (Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 2.3).

Retaliation is firing, demoting, cutting hours or pay, or otherwise punishing a worker for doing something the law protects. Protected activity includes:

• Reporting a suspected violation of law to a government agency, a supervisor or someone with authority to investigate, even if reporting is part of your job (Lab. Code § 1102.5(b)).
• Refusing to take part in something that would break a law or regulation (§ 1102.5(c)).
• Complaining that you're owed wages, filing a claim with the Labor Commissioner, or starting a PAGA notice (Lab. Code § 98.6(a)).
• Complaining about unsafe working conditions (Lab. Code § 6310).
• Telling others about your working conditions (Lab. Code § 232.5).
• Opposing harassment or discrimination, or filing or testifying in a complaint about it (Gov. Code § 12940(h)).

Threatening to report your immigration status, or a family member's, because you used a workplace right also counts as an adverse action (Lab. Code § 244(b)). And the protection reaches family members: an employer may not retaliate against you because a relative engaged in protected activity (Lab. Code §§ 98.6(e), 1102.5(h)).

Medical and family leave. An employer with five or more employees may not fire or punish you for taking leave under the California Family Rights Act (Gov. Code § 12945.2(b)(4), (k)). You qualify after more than 12 months on the job and at least 1,250 hours worked in the past year (§ 12945.2(a)).

Accommodation requests. Asking for a disability accommodation is protected whether or not the request is granted (Gov. Code § 12940(m)(2)).

Workers' compensation. Punishing a worker for filing a workers' comp claim is handled by the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. The petition is due within one year, and the board can raise your compensation by one-half, up to $10,000, and order reinstatement and lost wages (Lab. Code § 132a).

Depending on the law involved, you may recover reinstatement and lost wages and benefits (Lab. Code § 98.6(b)(1)), a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation paid to you (§§ 98.6(b)(3), 1102.5(f)), emotional distress damages in a lawsuit, and attorney fees (§ 1102.5(j); Gov. Code § 12965(c)(6)). For a Labor Code retaliation claim, you don't have to go to the Labor Commissioner before suing (Lab. Code § 244(a), § 98.7(g)). A FEHA claim starts with a Civil Rights Department complaint and a right-to-sue notice.

Deadlines at a glance:

• Retaliation complaint to the Labor Commissioner: one year from the violation, extendable for good cause (Lab. Code § 98.7(a)).
• Retaliation for a safety complaint: the Labor Commissioner tells you of your right to file a separate complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor within 30 days (§ 98.7(a)(1)).
• Civil Rights Department complaint: three years (Gov. Code § 12960(e)(5)).
• Lawsuit after a right-to-sue notice: one year from the notice (Gov. Code § 12965(c)(1)(D)).
• Workers' comp retaliation petition: one year (Lab. Code § 132a).
• Fair Workweek complaint to the County (large retailers in unincorporated areas): three years (L.A. County Code ch. 8.102).