Orange Employee Rights Lawyers
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$2 Billion
in Personal Injury Results
$150 Million
in Employment Law Results
for First Responders
Experienced representation for public and private employees in Orange, CA
The City of Orange in Orange County relies on police officers, firefighters, and other first responders to protect its residents and workers from crimes, fires, and other emergencies. At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, our employment lawyers file discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims when public and private employers make work decisions based on an employee’s personal identity characteristics and not how well they do their job. Our Orange employment lawyers also file wrongful termination claims, executive compensation claims, and other employee rights claims. We take pride in protecting hard-working employees.
Quick questions
- What types of workers do your employment attorneys represent in Orange?
- What types of employment claims do you handle in Orange?
- What is employment discrimination?
- What is employment harassment?
- What is employment retaliation?
- What employment laws protect workers in Orange?
- What steps do you take when an Orange employer violates my rights?
- What damages can I receive if an Orange employer violates my rights?
- Do you have an employment discrimination lawyer near me in Orange?
Our family of attorneys has obtained more than $150 million for our first responder clients. Some of our significant recoveries include the following:
$11.65 Million
for an LAPD K9 Bomb Unit dog handler in retaliation case.
$11.56 Million
jury verdict for a former LAPD Bomb K9 trainer who faced discrimination and retaliation after he reported violations of the law.
$5.9 Million
for ten Los Angeles Police Department motor officers who claimed they were retaliated against for refusing to follow a ticket quota.
$5.8 Million
against the City of Los Angeles in a retaliation case on behalf of an LAPD officer.
$5.6 Million
for a Bomb Tech discrimination case.
$3 Million
for six firefighters who suffered retaliation after blowing the whistle on LAFD’s dangerous and unlawful building inspections.
$3 Million
on behalf of six Whittier police officers who allegedly faced retaliation for refusing to participate in an illegal quota.
$2.5 Million
for four officers from the Internal Surveillance Unit, an elite sector of the LAPD’s Special Operations Division, in a retaliation case.
$13.1 Million
for Two Male LADPD Police Officers in Sex Discrimination and Retaliation Case.
$10.1 Million
verdict for a Captain at the Los Angeles Police Department against the LAPD.
$5.3 Million
verdict in favor of an African American member of a Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad for harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
$3.6 Million
for an LAPD employee facing retaliation after standing up for a female officer who had been subjected to harassment and discrimination.
$3.59 Million
for a Japanese-American police officer for harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
$2.8 Million
secured a $2.8 million verdict on behalf of a now-retired Riverside Police Department Motor Officer against the City of Riverside.
$2.33 Million
for a female SWAT officer denied a position on an elite squad.
$2.23 Million
for three LAPD female employees for discriminatory and retaliatory actions.
What types of employment claims do you handle in Orange?
Our Orange City employment lawyers have the experience and resources to represent you if you have any of the following types of claims:
- Discrimination and harassment claims. We represent employees when your employer adversely affects your employment because you are a member of a protected class (such as race, color, sex, or disability). We discuss these claims in much more detail below.
- Retaliation claims. At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we file lawsuits when your employer tries to intimidate you or punish you because you assert your rights, such as filing a discrimination claim, a harassment claim, or a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. We discuss retaliation claims in more detail below.
- Wage and hour claims. You work hard for the money you earn. You deserve to be paid on time and in the correct amount. Our lawyers file lawsuits to hold Orange employers accountable for the income they owe you – based on federal laws such as the Federal Labor Standards Act and the Equal Pay Act, California laws, Orange County laws, your collective bargaining agreement, and any written employment contracts you may have.
- Executive compensation claims. At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we work to ensure supervisors, managers, and workers with special skills who have written employment contracts receive the compensation and benefits they deserve, including salary, insurance coverage, accrued vacation and leave, stock options, severance pay, and retirement benefits.
- Qui tam/whistleblower claims. Orange City workers can disclose fraud (and receive a percentage of the recovery) through the federal and California False Claims Acts. Our Orange employment lawyers file retaliation claims when employers terminate the employment, adversely affect the employment, or harass any worker who discloses fraud or files a whistleblower claim.
- Family medical leave claims. Workers who qualify can request leave to take care of a new family member, such as a newborn or adoptee, or to help a family member who has a health disorder. We file lawsuits if your employer retaliates because you request this type of leave.
- Wrongful termination. Employees should not be fired because a police department, fire department, or any other employer does not like you because you are a member of a protected class. We hold employers accountable when they fire workers in violation of federal law, California law, collective bargaining agreements, or written employment contracts.
We will handle claims involving the City of Orange Police Department, the City of Orange Fire Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and other public and private employers.
What is employment discrimination?
There are two fundamental requirements you must meet to file a discrimination claim. The first is that you must belong to a “protected class.” The second is that your employer must adversely affect your employment because you are a member of that protected class.
Protected class
There are numerous federal discrimination laws that protect specific classes of workers, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The main California discrimination law is the California Fair Housing and Discrimination Act. The CFEHA protects the following classes of workers:
- Race, color
- Ancestry, national origin
- Religion, creed
- Age (40 and over)
- Disability, mental and physical
- Sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions)
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity, gender expression
- Medical condition
- Genetic information
- Marital status
- Military or veteran status
We can explain which law protects you.
Adverse employment conditions
Adverse employment conditions include:
- Firing you;
- Failing to give you the training you need;
- Denying a promotion you deserve;
- Not fairly considering your job application;
- Transferring you to an undesirable work location;
- Denying a deserved pay raise or reducing your pay;
- Failing to provide reasonable workplace accommodations if you have a disability or a pregnancy; and
- Other adverse employment conditions
What is employment harassment?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines harassment as unwelcome conduct based on your protected class, including: “race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy), national origin, older age (beginning at age 40), disability, or genetic information (including family medical history).”
Our employment lawyers file the following two types of harassment claims:
- A hostile work environment. These claims involve verbal communication and physical conduct that prevents you from doing your job or causes your workplace to become abusive, intimidating, or offensive. Your employer can be held liable for hostile workplace harassment if they participate in the harassment or should reasonably know that someone at the workplace (supervisors, coworkers, and anyone with access to the workplace) is harassing a worker and failing to take corrective measures. You can file a hostile work environment harassment claim even if the conduct reasonably offends you, even if someone else is the focus of the harassment.
- Quid pro quo harassment. You can file a sexual harassment claim based on quid pro quo harassment if your employer or anyone who can affect your work status, pay, or assignments conditions your employment on sexual advances or sexual favors.
What is employment retaliation?
It’s legitimate for a City of Orange employer to respond to your assertion of any of your employee rights in a civil manner. It is not legitimate for your employer to adversely affect your employment or harass you because you assert your rights.
Our Orange employment lawyers file retaliation claims when employers punish you or try to intimidate you because you:
- File a discrimination, harassment, or retaliation claim;
- File a whistleblower claim;
- File a workers’ compensation claim;
- Refuse to comply with discrimination or harassment at your job;
- Refuse sexual advances;
- Request reasonable workplace accommodations if you have a disability or are pregnant;
- Requesting family medical leave; or
- Assert any other legal right.
What employment laws protect workers in Orange?
At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we use the following federal and state laws, among others, to protect City of Orange employees from discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other violations of their employee rights:
California law
- California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA); and
- California Family Rights Act; and
- The California False Claims Act.
Federal laws
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA);
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
- The Equal Pay Act of 1963;
- Family Medical Leave Act;
- Federal False Claims Act;
- The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA); and
- The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
What steps do you take when an Orange employer violates my rights?
At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, our lawyers handle every phase of your claim, including the initial consultation, investigating what happened, filing your claims with the appropriate agencies and courts (depending on your type of claim), questioning everyone involved, reviewing your work history, examining all relevant documents, working with experts when necessary, negotiating your claim, and arguing your claim before judges and juries.
The agencies and courts that handle the claims of City of Orange employees include the following:
California
Federal
What damages can I receive if an Orange employer violates my rights?
Employers deserve to be held fully accountable for violating your employment rights. Our Orange employment lawyers demand the following compensation, depending on the type of employment claim you have:
- Your past (back) and future (front) income losses - wages, salary, overtime, and any other income;
- Insurance coverage;
- Accrued leave and vacation;
- Seniority benefits;
- Retirement benefits;
- Emotional distress and damage to your reputation;
- Executive compensation benefits;
- Statutory damages; and
- Lawyer fees and court costs.
We may also seek punitive damages.
Our employment lawyers also seek court orders, where the law permits, directing your employer to:
- Rehire you;
- Review your qualifications for hire;
- Promote you;
- Provide essential training;
- Provide reasonable workplace accommodations if you have a disability or a pregnancy;
- Create and implement policies and procedures to prevent future employee rights violations and educate workers about their employee rights; and
- Other requirements.
Do you have an employment discrimination lawyer near me in Orange?
McNicholas & McNicholas meets police officers, firefighters, first responders, and other public and private employees at our office located at 10866 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400, Los Angeles, 90024. Our lawyers also conduct remote consultations by phone and through online conferences such as Zoom and FaceTime.
We understand how anxious and angry you are. We’re here to answer your questions and fight for all the compensation you deserve.
Get help from our experienced City of Orange employment lawyers today
Our team of employment lawyers has earned the respect of former clients and the legal community for our compassion and impressive record of results. Call McNicholas & McNicholas LLP today or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We are ready to assert your employee rights.
List of Agencies We are Suing or Have Sued
Police departments
- Berkeley PD
- Chula Vista PD
- Culver City PD (Non-LEO)
- El Monte PD
- El Segundo PD
- Fremont PD
- Huntington Beach PD
- Palo Alto PD
- Pomona PD
- Redondo Beach PD
- Riverside PD
- San Diego PD
- Ukiah PD
- Walnut Creek PD
- Willits PD
Sheriff departments
- Contra Costa Sheriff (Non LEO/Employment)
- LA Co Sheriff
- Santa Barbara County Sheriff
- San Joaquin County Sheriff
- Shasta County Sheriff
Fire departments
- Berkeley Fire/CoB (Non-LEO)
- LAFD
City of Richmond (Non-LEO/Employment)
LAWA