Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Irvine

If you experienced wrongful termination at an Irvine 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 Irvine

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 Irvine 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).

Irvine Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• UCI faculty, staff, and academic-healthcare workers - common pattern: termination after the employee raises research-integrity, compliance, or patient-safety concerns. Public employees have pre-deprivation due-process rights under Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194 and California Whistleblower Protection Act coverage (Cal. Government Code section 8547).
• Life-sciences and medical-device workers - at Edwards Lifesciences and AbbVie / Allergan. Common pattern: termination after FDA-related compliance complaints (Labor Code section 1102.5) or trade-secret-claim retaliation.
• Tech and gaming workers - at Blizzard Entertainment, Ingram Micro, and other Irvine Spectrum tech employers. Common pattern: termination tied to mass-layoff WARN violations (Cal-WARN, Labor Code sections 1400 et seq.) and stock-vesting / equity disputes.
• Automotive and consumer-products workers - at Mazda North American Operations and Taco Bell. Common pattern: termination after reporting wage theft or discrimination.
• Public-sector workers - at the City of Irvine, IUSD, and South OC Community College District. 6-month Government Claims Act deadline applies (Cal. Government Code section 911.2).

Irvine Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of an Irvine mass layoff (particularly in tech or life-sciences), 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. 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 Irvine

FEHA charges go to the CRD, 320 W. 4th Street, Suite 1000, 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Federal charges go to the EEOC, 255 East Temple Street, 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Whistleblower and wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE Santa Ana, 2 MacArthur Place, Suite 800, (714) 558-4910). Civil suits are heard at the Orange County Superior Court, Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701 (complex civil matters at the Civil Complex Center, 751 West Santa Ana Boulevard, Santa Ana, CA 92701). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.