Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Santa Ana

If you experienced wrongful termination at a Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana

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 Santa Ana 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).

Santa Ana Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Orange County government workers - at the OC Sheriff's Department (Central Men's and Women's Jails, 500 Flower Street), OC Health Care Agency, OC Social Services Agency, OC Probation, OC Public Works, OC Public Defender, and OC District Attorney.
• City of Santa Ana and SAPD workers - at City Hall (20 Civic Center Plaza) and the Santa Ana Police Department.
• Education workers - at Santa Ana Unified School District and Santa Ana College / Rancho Santiago Community College District (approximately 1,692 employees per LinkedIn).
• Federal-civilian workers - at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building, 411 West 4th Street - covered by the federal EEO process (45-day counselor contact deadline).
• Legal and professional services workers - at the dozens of Orange County law firms clustered around the OC Civic Center and Superior Court.
• Manufacturing, logistics, and retail workers - along Grand Avenue, Edinger Avenue, and McFadden Avenue industrial corridors, and at Westfield MainPlace and Calle Cuatro retail.

Santa Ana Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana

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 Santa Ana Office, 2 MacArthur Place, Suite 800, Santa Ana, CA 92707, phone (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. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.