Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Santa Clarita

Three large Santa Clarita workforce disruptions in 2025-2026 - Princess Cruises' relocation of its Valencia HQ to Florida, Six Flags' September 3, 2025 WARN filing for 56 permanent layoffs, and Boston Scientific's planned downsizing - have generated a wave of severance, WARN, and pretextual-termination cases. Examples of Santa Clarita wrongful-termination cases on file include Pereira v. Six Flags (Chatsworth Superior Court, 2025) and Hurtado v. Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital (LASC, 2021). Call us at 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Wrongful Termination in Santa Clarita

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 Clarita 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 Clarita Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Theme-park and entertainment workers at Six Flags Magic Mountain - at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia - the largest employer in the Santa Clarita Valley with 3,000 employees per SCVEDC. Theme-park workers are covered by IWC Wage Order 10 (amusement and recreation), Cal. Labor Code section 226.7 (meal/rest breaks), section 510 (overtime), and FEHA. Many seasonal workers face Cal-WARN seasonal layoff issues at the end of each operating season. A work permit may be required for associates under the age of 18 per California Education Code section 49100 et seq.
• Healthcare workers at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital - at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital - 1,695 employees per SCVEDC. Covered by SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16), 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.
• Community college workers at College of the Canyons - at College of the Canyons in Valencia (1,629 employees per SCVEDC). Community-college employees are covered by HEERA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3560-3599) for management/excluded employees or EERA for faculty and classified staff, Cal. Education Code sections 87600-87683 (faculty tenure and dismissal), PEPRA, and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Cruise and hospitality workers at Princess Cruises HQ - at the Princess Cruises Santa Clarita Valley headquarters - a major employer and Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) subsidiary. Corporate cruise-line employees are covered by California FEHA / Labor Code; shipboard maritime workers covered by the federal Jones Act (46 U.S.C. section 30104), the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (33 U.S.C. section 901 et seq.), and 46 U.S.C. section 2114 (seamen's whistleblower protections). Public-company Carnival employees (NYSE: CCL) are protected by Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank section 922.
• K-12 education workers at the William S. Hart Union High School District - at the William S. Hart Union High School District and Saugus Union School District. Covered by California Education Code sections 44930-44987, 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. PEPRA and the 6-month government-claim deadline apply.
• Arts and education workers at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) - at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia - one of the country's leading creative arts universities (founded by Walt Disney; a private nonprofit). Faculty and staff covered by California FEHA / Labor Code, Title IX (20 U.S.C. section 1681), and federal whistleblower protections. Many alumni populate the LA-area animation and entertainment industries.
• City of Santa Clarita government and public-safety workers - at the City of Santa Clarita (general-law city). The City of Santa Clarita contracts with the LA County Sheriff's Department for police services. Public employees by PEPRA, MMBA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3500-3511), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Retail, restaurant, and consumer-services workers - at the Westfield Valencia Town Center, along the I-5 freeway corridor and McBean Parkway, and at chain retailers throughout Santa Clarita. Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474). Retail workers covered by IWC Wage Order 7 (mercantile industry).

Santa Clarita Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Santa Clarita 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. Santa Clarita's Six Flags Magic Mountain (3,000 workers) and Princess Cruises HQ workforce face seasonal labor fluctuations and cruise-industry restructuring. Princess Cruises shipboard workers have specific federal Jones Act and Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act protections.

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 Clarita

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 - Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse, 42011 4th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534 (North District; nearest courthouse to Santa Clarita). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.