Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Murrieta

If you experienced wrongful termination at a Murrieta 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 Murrieta

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 Murrieta 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).

Murrieta Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Healthcare workers - at Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta / LLUMC-Murrieta (28062 Baxter Road - 256,000-sq-ft acute care hospital, 106 inpatient beds, 15-bed expansion underway in 2026; faith-based nonprofit affiliated with Seventh-day Adventist Church and part of Loma Linda University Health) and Southwest Healthcare Inland Valley Hospital (36485 Inland Valley, Wildomar - the only trauma center in southwestern Riverside County; part of Southwest Healthcare / Universal Health Services / NYSE: UHS). Covered by SB 525 healthcare worker minimum-wage schedule (California 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), and Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) for UHS public-company employees at Inland Valley.
• Education workers - at the Murrieta Valley Unified School District / MVUSD (41870 McAlby Court - 2018 California Exemplary School District) and Mt. San Jacinto College / MSJC Temecula Education Complex serving the southwest Riverside County region. Protected by Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194 due-process rights and California Whistleblower Protection Act, Cal. Government Code section 8547.
• Public-sector workers at the Southwest Justice Center - at the Riverside County Superior Court Southwest Justice Center (30755-D Auld Road, Murrieta - principal courthouse serving Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake; handles civil harassment, criminal, traffic, juvenile, and limited civil matters; (951) 777-3147) and Southwest Juvenile Courthouse (30755-G Auld Road). Court clerks, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, and support staff are Riverside County / state employees subject to civil-service rules and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Retail and consumer-services workers - at the Murrieta Plaza, California Oaks Plaza, and chain retailers along Murrieta Hot Springs Road, Madison Avenue, Murrieta Boulevard, and the I-15 / I-215 corridor. Home Depot is listed by the Riverside County Office of Economic Development among major Murrieta-area employers. Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (California Labor Code section 1474).
• City and contract public-safety workers - at the City of Murrieta (1 Town Square), Murrieta Police Department (officers covered by POBR / Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.), and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department - Southwest Detention Center (deputies are RCSO employees subject to RCSO personnel rules and POBR). Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Warehouse and small-business workers - along the I-15 / I-215 interchange. Covered by California's Warehouse Quotas Act, AB 701 (California Labor Code sections 2100-2112), and client-employer liability under Labor Code section 2810.3.

Murrieta Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Murrieta 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 Murrieta

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 Riverside Office, 3737 Main Street, Suite 300, Riverside, CA 92501). Civil suits are heard at the Riverside County Superior Court, Southwest Justice Center, 30755-D Auld Road, Murrieta, CA 92563. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.