Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Pasadena

Pasadena wrongful-termination cases concentrate at hospitals (Huntington's settled wrongful-termination case involving a former registered nurse), at research institutions where post-doc and grant-funded contracts end abruptly, and at fast-food and retail employers who violate the Pasadena minimum-wage ordinance. Call us at 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Wrongful Termination in Pasadena

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 Pasadena 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).

Pasadena Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Aerospace, research, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) workers - at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) managed by Caltech under a $30 billion 10-year contract running through September 30, 2028 (after 68 years NASA is opening JPL's contract to competitive bidding for the first time, with significant workforce uncertainty). JPL/Caltech engineers and scientists are protected by federal whistleblower laws including the NASA Inspector General Act, Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) for any federal contractor work, and California whistleblower protections (Cal. Labor Code section 1102.5). Any major reduction in force may trigger California WARN Act (Cal. Labor Code section 1400 et seq.) notice obligations.
• Higher education workers at Caltech - at the California Institute of Technology - a private research university with a globally-recognized faculty and research staff. Caltech employees have federal whistleblower protections under the False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. sections 3729-3733) for reporting fraud against the U.S. government on federally-funded research, Title IX (20 U.S.C. section 1681), the National Labor Relations Act, and California FEHA / Labor Code protections. Caltech faculty and grad-student researchers have important protections under California Labor Code section 1102.5 (whistleblower retaliation) and Education Code provisions.
• Healthcare workers at Huntington Health (Huntington Hospital) - at Huntington Health (Huntington Hospital) - one of the major hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley. Covered by SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16) which reaches $25/hour at large hospital systems on July 1, 2026; California Health & Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation); and CNA / SEIU-UHW / NUHW collective bargaining agreements.
• K-12 education workers at Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) - at the Pasadena Unified School District. Covered by California Education Code sections 44930-44987 (permanent-employee dismissal protections), the Educational Employment Relations Act (EERA / Cal. Gov. Code sections 3540-3549.3), Cal. Education Code section 44113 (school-employee whistleblower protections), and CTA-affiliated collective bargaining agreements. PUSD has a dual-enrollment program with Pasadena City College. PEPRA and the 6-month government-claim deadline apply.
• Community college workers at Pasadena City College (PCC) - at Pasadena City College. Community-college employees are covered by HEERA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3560-3599), Cal. Education Code sections 87600-87683, PEPRA, and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• City of Pasadena government and Pasadena Water and Power workers - at the City of Pasadena (charter city), the Pasadena Police Department, the Pasadena Fire Department, and Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) - the city's municipally-owned electric and water utility. PWP utility workers may have Energy Reorganization Act section 5851 (42 U.S.C. section 5851) whistleblower protections. Police covered by POBR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.); firefighters by FBOR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3250 et seq.); all public employees by PEPRA, MMBA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3500-3511), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Retail, restaurant, and hospitality workers in Old Town Pasadena - at Old Town Pasadena, along South Lake Avenue, and at Paseo Colorado. Pasadena has its own Minimum Wage Ordinance (adopted March 14, 2016), with the citywide minimum wage rising to $18.57/hour effective July 1, 2026 (up from $18.04). Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).

Pasadena Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Pasadena 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. Caltech / JPL workers face an unusual mass-layoff risk because the NASA-Caltech contract is open to competitive bidding for the first time in 68 years (running through September 30, 2028). Any significant reduction-in-force will trigger Cal-WARN obligations.

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 Pasadena

FEHA charges go to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Los Angeles Office, 320 West 4th Street, 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Federal charges go to the EEOC Los Angeles District Office, 255 East Temple Street, 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Whistleblower and wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE Van Nuys Office, 6150 Van Nuys Boulevard, Room 100, Van Nuys, CA 91401). Civil suits are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court - Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (Northeast District). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.