Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Santa Monica

Santa Monica wrongful termination cases are pursued under California's broad employment-protection framework, including FEHA (Government Code section 12940), Title VII, and Labor Code sections 1102.5/6310. Strict filing deadlines apply: CRD 3 years; EEOC 300 days. We represent employees only, never employers. Free confidential consultation.

What Is Wrongful Termination in Santa Monica

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 Monica 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 Monica Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Technology, gaming, and entertainment workers - "Silicon Beach" employers include Snap (NYSE: SNAP, 3340 Ocean Park Blvd, 1,745 employees), Hulu (Disney, 2500 Broadway, 1,363), Activision Publishing (Microsoft, 2701 Olympic Blvd, 1,294), Universal Music Group (NYSE: UMG, 2220 Colorado Ave, 1,151), Oracle (NYSE: ORCL, 1620 26th St, 800), Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, 2700 Colorado Ave, 612), Riot Games (Tencent, 3301 Exposition Blvd, 491), Naughty Dog (Sony, 2425 Olympic Blvd #300, 310), Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU, 2450 Colorado Ave, 284), GoodRx (NASDAQ: GDRX, 242), FIGS (NYSE: FIGS, 188), and ZipRecruiter (NYSE: ZIP, 175). Covered by exempt-misclassification (Labor Code section 515), commission and equity-compensation disputes (Labor Code section 2751), California choice-of-law/venue protection (Labor Code section 925), Silenced No More Act (CCP section 1001 and Cal. Gov. Code section 12964.5), Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower (18 U.S.C. section 1514A), and California Labor Code section 1102.5 whistleblower protection.
• Healthcare workers - at Providence Saint John's Health Center (2121 Santa Monica Blvd - 2,094 employees, top-10 ranked LA hospital per U.S. News), UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica (1250 16th Street - 1,965 employees, part of UC Regents / UCLA Health), Kite Pharma (Gilead subsidiary, 2400 Broadway - 1,073 employees), and post-acute facilities (Beachwood Post Acute, Berkley East Healthcare Center). Covered by SB 525 healthcare worker minimum-wage schedule (California 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). UCLA Medical Center claims go to the Regents of the University of California; UC employees are covered by HEERA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3560-3599).
• Hotel and hospitality workers - at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel (101 Wilshire Blvd - 419 employees), E.T. Whitehall / Casa del Mar / Shutters on the Beach (560 employees), Proper Hotel (700 Wilshire - 319), Regent Santa Monica Beach Hotel (1700 Ocean Ave - 312), Huntley Santa Monica Beach (1111 2nd Street - 216), Jonathan Club at the Beach (182), Santa Monica Amusements / Pacific Park (380 Santa Monica Pier - 357), and King's Seafood. Covered by Santa Monica's local Hotel Worker Living Wage Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 4.63) at $22.50/hour effective July 1, 2025 (rising to $25.00/hour July 1, 2026, tied to City of LA hotel-worker rate per LA Ord. #188610) and Santa Monica's Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance (panic-button and square-footage workload caps). Also covered by California's statewide Hotel Worker Protection Act (AB 1761, California Labor Code section 6403.7).
• Education and research workers - at Santa Monica College (1900 Pico Blvd - 1,666 employees), Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (1651 16th Street - 1,664 employees), RAND Corporation (1776 Main Street - 738 employees), and Crossroads School for Arts & Science (1715 Olympic Blvd - 335 employees). 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 and retail workers - at the City of Santa Monica (1685 Main Street - 2,252 employees, the largest employer in the city), Santa Monica Police Department, Amazon.com Services (2425 Olympic Blvd - 1,929 employees), Red Bull North America (1740 Stewart Street - 725 employees), Macerich / Santa Monica Place (REIT, NYSE: MAC - 183 employees), Safeway/Vons/Pavilions (289), Sullivan Auto Group (255), and across the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Pier retail districts. Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline under Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2 for City and SMMUSD claims.
• Advertising, biotech, and consumer-products workers - at Rubin Postaer & Associates (advertising, 2525 Colorado Blvd - 688 employees), Edmunds.com (2401 Colorado Ave - 464 employees), Headspace Inc. (2415 Michigan Ave - 414 employees), Cornerstone OnDemand (1601 Cloverfield Blvd - 243), Counter Brands / Beautycounter (1733 Ocean Ave - 238), and Jakks Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK - 224). Same exempt-misclassification, commission-dispute, and SOX whistleblower issues as the broader Silicon Beach tech sector.

Santa Monica Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Santa Monica 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 Monica

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 Los Angeles Office, 320 W. 4th Street, Suite 450, Los Angeles, CA 90013). Civil suits are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Santa Monica Courthouse (West District), 1725 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.