California Employment Lawyer for Employees
If you were fired, harassed, retaliated against, or pushed out of your job in California, this page is for you. Pletcher Law, APC, in Westlake Village, represents employees throughout Ventura County, Los Angeles County, Kern County, Santa Barbara County, and the rest of California — in the trial court and on appeal. I do not represent employers, and I never have.
Does this sound like your situation?
• You reported something wrong at work — a safety problem, fraud, harassment, unpaid wages — and were written up, demoted, or fired afterward.
• You were let go shortly after taking medical, pregnancy, or family leave, or after asking for an accommodation.
• A supervisor or coworker is harassing you, HR isn't stopping it, and some of it is happening online.
• You're called a manager or paid as a contractor, but the job doesn't match the title — and you're not getting overtime or breaks.
• You were handed a severance agreement and told to sign it fast.
• You signed an arbitration agreement you didn't understand, or don't remember signing at all.
• You work for a religious school or church-affiliated organization and were terminated.
If one of these is you, the next step is a free 15-minute call. I'll tell you whether you have a case and what it would take to pursue it.
Book a free 15-minute case review or Call/Text (805) 630-3245
Free. Confidential. No attorney's fee unless we win. Your employer does not find out you called.
The cases I take
California's protections for workers are stronger than federal law. Every case below starts with California law first.
Retaliation and whistleblower claims. If you reported illegal conduct, unsafe conditions, or wage violations and were punished for it, California Labor Code sections 1102.5, 6310, and 98.6 protect you — and so does the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) when the complaint was about discrimination or harassment. I won the published decision in Romero v. County of Kern (2025) 116 Cal.App.5th 1189, which holds that public employees don't have to finish an internal civil-service appeal before suing for whistleblower retaliation.
Sexual harassment and hostile work environment. Under FEHA, harassment protections apply to employers of every size — even one employee. Harassment that happens on social media or off the clock can still be your employer's legal problem. I argued and won Okonowsky v. Garland, 109 F.4th 1166 (9th Cir. 2024), where the Ninth Circuit held that a coworker's harassing social-media posts count as workplace harassment. I also argued the appeal that affirmed a sexual-harassment judgment against a small employer. See also: Sexual Harassment.
Discrimination. FEHA prohibits discrimination based on disability, pregnancy, age (40+), race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, medical condition, and more. It covers employers with five or more employees, and it requires them to accommodate disabilities and engage in a real interactive process. See: Disability Discrimination · Age Discrimination.
Wrongful termination. California is an at-will state, but an employer cannot fire you for a reason that violates public policy, FEHA, or the Labor Code — or because you took leave you were entitled to under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) or Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL). See: Wrongful Termination.
Unpaid wages, overtime, and breaks. Misclassification as “exempt” or as an independent contractor, unpaid overtime, missed meal and rest periods, off-the-clock work, and final-paycheck violations under the California Labor Code and Wage Orders.
Arbitration agreements. Signing an arbitration agreement does not always mean you're stuck in arbitration. In Velarde v. Monroe Operations, LLC (2025) 111 Cal.App.5th 1009, I briefed and argued the published decision holding an arbitration agreement unenforceable because HR misrepresented what the employee was signing.
Religious employers and the ministerial exception. Teachers and staff at religious schools have rights too, though the rules are different. I handled both Ninth Circuit appeals in Biel v. St. James School and Morrissey-Berru v. Our Lady of Guadalupe School, the cases the U.S. Supreme Court later took up.
Severance agreements. Before you sign, have it read. Severance offers are negotiable more often than employers let on, and some of what they ask you to give up isn't enforceable in California.
Why the record matters
Most employment-lawyer websites say “aggressive” and “experienced.” Those are adjectives. These are court records, with my name printed in them:
• Romero v. County of Kern (2025) 116 Cal.App.5th 1189 — published, Court of Appeal, whistleblower retaliation
• Velarde v. Monroe Operations, LLC (2025) 111 Cal.App.5th 1009 — published, Court of Appeal, arbitration
• Okonowsky v. Garland, 109 F.4th 1166 (9th Cir. 2024) — published, Ninth Circuit, workplace harassment (argued)
• Biel v. St. James School, 926 F.3d 1238 (9th Cir. 2019) and Morrissey-Berru v. Our Lady of Guadalupe School (9th Cir. 2019) — ministerial exception
You can read every one of them on the court's own website. All case results →
How it works
1. Book the call or pick up the phone. Fifteen minutes, free, on your schedule. Nothing you tell me leaves this office.
2. I listen and give you a straight answer. Whether you have a case, what it's worth pursuing, and what the deadlines are. If I'm not the right lawyer, I'll tell you who is.
3. If we go forward, you pay no attorney's fee unless we win. Employment cases are handled on contingency.
Don't wait on deadlines. Most FEHA claims must be filed with the California Civil Rights Department within three years of the last act. Wrongful termination in violation of public policy: two years. Unpaid wages: three years, sometimes four. Some claims — especially against public employers — are shorter. The safest move is to call while the events are fresh.
Questions people ask before they call
Do you represent employers? No. Pletcher Law, APC represents employees only.
Do I need to have been fired to have a case? No. Harassment, retaliation, demotion, cut hours, denied accommodation, and being forced to quit can all be actionable.
How much does this cost? The first call is free. If I take your case, it's on contingency — no attorney's fee unless we win.
Will my employer find out I called? No. The consultation is confidential and creates no record with your employer.
What if I signed an arbitration agreement? Bring it to the call. Many are unenforceable, and I've won a published appeal on exactly that question.
Where do you take cases? Based in Westlake Village. Ventura County and Los Angeles County primarily; anywhere in California for the right case.
Ready when you are
Book a free 15-minute case review or Call/Text (805) 630-3245
Pletcher Law, APC · Andrew S. Pletcher, State Bar No. 299437 · Westlake Village, California. Attorney advertising. The information on this page is general information about California law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.