Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Fontana

If you experienced wrongful termination at a Fontana workplace, you have strong protections under California law. We represent employees only, never employers, and offer a free, confidential consultation. 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Wrongful Termination in Fontana

California is an at-will state, but the at-will rule has many exceptions. The leading case is Tameny v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (1980) 27 Cal.3d 167, which established the public-policy tort: an employee fired for refusing to commit an illegal act, for asserting a statutory right, or for reporting illegal conduct can sue in tort. Other Fontana wrongful-termination grounds include FEHA (Cal. Government Code section 12940), Labor Code section 1102.5 (whistleblower retaliation), Labor Code section 6310 (Cal/OSHA retaliation), Labor Code section 232 (wage-discussion retaliation), and Labor Code section 132a (workers' compensation retaliation).

Fontana Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Healthcare workers - at the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (9961 Sierra Avenue, Fontana, CA 92335 - the founding Kaiser Permanente hospital in Southern California, opened 1943 by Henry J. Kaiser and Dr. Sidney R. Garfield to serve the Kaiser Steel mill workforce; 6,000+ employees, 500+ physicians, 4,400 support staff, 440,000+ members; 314-private-bed general acute care hospital with a 28-bed expansion). Covered by SB 525 healthcare worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16), California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation). Kaiser employees are also covered by California Nurses Association (CNA) and SEIU-UHW collective bargaining agreements - collective bargaining does not waive statutory FEHA or California Labor Code rights.
• Warehouse, logistics, and distribution workers - at the dozens of warehouses, distribution centers, and trucking yards along the I-10 / I-15 / I-215 corridor in Fontana (one of the largest warehouse markets in the Inland Empire). The closure of the historic Kaiser Steel mill in 1983 and the closure of the Auto Club Speedway in 2023 has triggered an additional 433-acre warehouse-complex development on the former speedway site (9300 Cherry Avenue). Covered by California's Warehouse Quotas Act, AB 701 (Cal. Labor Code sections 2100-2112), which requires written quota disclosure, prohibits quotas that interfere with meal, rest, or bathroom use, and provides a private right of action. Client-employer liability under California Labor Code section 2810.3 makes brand-name retailers and logistics companies jointly responsible for staffing-agency and subcontractor wage violations.
• Education workers - at the Fontana Unified School District / FUSD (9680 Citrus Avenue, (909) 357-5000 - one of the largest school districts in the Inland Empire, operates 40+ schools serving Fontana, parts of Rialto, and unincorporated San Bernardino County). Public-school workers (teachers, classified staff, paraprofessionals, custodians, food-service workers) have pre-deprivation due-process rights under Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194, California Whistleblower Protection Act coverage under Cal. Government Code section 8547, and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Retail and consumer-services workers - at Falcon Ridge Town Center, Renaissance Marketplace, and chain retailers along Sierra Avenue, Foothill Boulevard, Highland Avenue, and Citrus Avenue including Walmart, Target, Costco, and many fast-food and restaurant chains. Common claims: wage and hour (off-the-clock and rounding violations under Cal. Labor Code sections 226.7, 510, 512), commission disputes (Cal. Labor Code section 2751), and sexual harassment under FEHA (Cal. Gov. Code section 12940(j)). Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).
• Government and public-sector workers - at the City of Fontana (16860 Valencia Avenue), the Fontana Police Department (Fontana operates its own police department), the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department - Fontana Station, and Cal Fire / San Bernardino County Fire. Peace officers are covered by the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR, Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.). Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.

Fontana Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Fontana mass layoff, the California WARN Act (California Labor Code sections 1400 through 1408) requires covered employers with 75 or more workers to give 60 days' advance written notice of a mass layoff of 50 or more employees in any 30-day period, a plant closing, or a relocation. Federal WARN (29 U.S.C. sections 2101-2109) applies to employers with 100+ employees. Damages: up to 60 days of back pay and benefits, plus an additional civil penalty of up to $500 per day under federal WARN if notice is not given to the local government. SB 617 (effective January 1, 2026) expanded the required notice content.

California Law

For the full California framework, including Tameny, Labor Code section 1102.5, FEHA, Cal-WARN, and public-employee due-process rights, see our California employment law page.

What Compensation Can You Recover

Back pay, front pay (or reinstatement where appropriate), emotional-distress damages, punitive damages (unlimited under FEHA and under the Tameny tort), 60-day Cal-WARN back-pay damages where applicable, and attorneys' fees and costs (Cal. Government Code section 12965(c); Labor Code section 1102.5(j)). For details, see our California employment law page.

How to File a Wrongful Termination Claim in Fontana

FEHA charges go to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), 320 W. 4th Street, Suite 1000, 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Federal charges go to the EEOC Los Angeles District Office, Roybal Federal Building, 255 East Temple Street, 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Whistleblower and wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE San Bernardino Office, 464 West 4th Street, Suite 348, San Bernardino, CA 92401). Civil suits are heard at the San Bernardino County Superior Court, San Bernardino Justice Center, 247 West Third Street, San Bernardino, CA 92415. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.