Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Richmond

If you experienced wrongful termination at a Richmond 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 Richmond

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 Richmond 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).

Richmond Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Petroleum refinery workers at Chevron Richmond Refinery - at the Chevron Richmond Refinery (NYSE: CVX - Chevron's flagship West Coast refinery; the #1 largest employer and taxpayer in the City of Richmond per Chevron-commissioned reports indicating the refinery supports 3,800+ jobs and supplies 60% of the jet fuel for major Bay Area airports; the average Richmond-based Chevron employee compensation is $153,000 / 56% higher than the regional average). The catastrophic August 6, 2012 Chevron Richmond Refinery explosion and fire (which sent 15,000 residents to seek medical attention) prompted significant litigation and a U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigation. Petroleum-refinery workers are covered by: (1) Cal/OSHA Process Safety Management standards (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, section 5189); (2) California Labor Code section 6310 retaliation protection for safety reporting; (3) federal OSH Act section 11(c) (29 U.S.C. section 660); (4) the federal Clean Air Act whistleblower statute (42 U.S.C. section 7622); (5) Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6) for SEC-registered Chevron Corporation employees; and (6) federal energy-pipeline whistleblower protection. Many refinery workers are represented by the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 5; collective bargaining does not waive statutory FEHA or California Labor Code rights.
• Port, maritime, and rail workers - at the Port of Richmond (one of the largest ports in California by tonnage, handling petroleum, vehicles, and bulk commodities) and BNSF Railway / Union Pacific Railroad operations through Richmond. Longshore workers are covered by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Pacific Coast Master Contract and the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act / LHWCA (33 U.S.C. section 901 et seq.). Rail workers are covered by the Federal Railroad Safety Act / FRSA (49 U.S.C. section 20109) whistleblower protection (OSHA-administered), the Federal Employers Liability Act / FELA (45 U.S.C. section 51 et seq.), and the Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. section 151 et seq.).
• K-12 education workers - at the West Contra Costa Unified School District / WCCUSD (1108 Bissell Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801, (510) 231-1100 - established 1965, serves ~28,000 K-12 students across Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules, and El Cerrito). Public-school workers have pre-deprivation due-process rights under Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194, California Whistleblower Protection Act (Cal. Gov. Code section 8547), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Healthcare and research workers - at the Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center (901 Nevin Avenue - the principal Richmond hospital) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory / LBNL Richmond Field Station (1301 South 46th Street - operated by the Regents of the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy). Healthcare workers are covered by SB 525 healthcare worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16) and California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation). LBNL employees have federal whistleblower protection under the Energy Reorganization Act (42 U.S.C. section 5851) and federal False Claims Act protection (31 U.S.C. section 3730(h)).
• Government and public-sector workers - at the City of Richmond (450 Civic Center Plaza - charter city, incorporated 1905), the Richmond Police Department (RPD officers subject to POBR / Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.), the Richmond Fire Department, and Contra Costa County (the county seat is in adjacent Martinez). Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Retail, restaurant, and casino workers - at chain retailers along Macdonald Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, and the Hilltop area (the Hilltop Mall closed in 2024 for redevelopment) and at Casino San Pablo in adjacent San Pablo (operated by the San Pablo Lytton Casino tribal enterprise - which employs many Richmond residents). Richmond workers covered by the Richmond Minimum Wage Ordinance earn $19.18/hour effective January 1, 2026. Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).

Richmond Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Richmond 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 Richmond

FEHA charges go to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Oakland Office, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 701, Oakland, CA 94612. Federal charges go to the EEOC San Francisco District Office (Contra Costa County jurisdiction), 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 5 West, San Francisco, CA 94102. Whistleblower and wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE Oakland Office, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 801, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 622-3273). Civil suits are heard at the Contra Costa County Superior Court, Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, 725 Court Street, Martinez, CA 94553. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.