Workplace Retaliation Lawyer in Simi Valley

If you experienced workplace retaliation at a Simi Valley 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 Workplace Retaliation in Simi Valley

Retaliation against employees who exercise legal rights is independently illegal under California law, separate from the underlying complaint. Common statutory bases for Simi Valley workers include Labor Code section 1102.5 (whistleblower retaliation; up to $10,000 per violation civil penalty under section 1102.5(f)), Labor Code section 98.6 (retaliation for filing a wage complaint), Labor Code section 6310 (Cal/OSHA retaliation; 6-month deadline to file with Cal/OSHA), Labor Code section 232 (retaliation for discussing wages with coworkers), Labor Code section 132a (workers' compensation retaliation), Cal. Government Code section 12940(h) (FEHA-protected-activity retaliation), Cal. Government Code section 8547 (California Whistleblower Protection Act for state employees), and Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 (hospital-worker patient-safety retaliation; $25,000-per-violation civil penalty).

Simi Valley Industries Where Retaliation Claims Are Most Common

• Defense unmanned-aircraft workers at AeroVironment - at AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), the American defense technology company that designs and manufactures small Unmanned Aerial Systems / sUAS (Switchblade loitering munitions, Puma, Raven, Wasp) used by the U.S. military and allies. Although AeroVironment moved its corporate headquarters from Simi Valley to Arlington, Virginia in 2022, it retains approximately 600 of its 700 employees across five Simi Valley engineering and manufacturing facilities. Public-company employees of AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) are protected by Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank section 922 (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6). Federal contractors are also covered by NDAA section 4712 (41 U.S.C. section 4712) whistleblower protection and federal False Claims Act anti-retaliation (31 U.S.C. section 3730(h)). Engineers and designers are covered by the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (18 U.S.C. section 1836) and the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Cal. Civil Code section 3426 et seq.). California's strong non-compete prohibition (Bus. & Prof. Code section 16600) preserves AeroVironment employees' freedom to move to competitors.
• Healthcare workers at Adventist Health Simi Valley - at Adventist Health Simi Valley (2975 N. Sycamore Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93065 - a 136-bed acute-care hospital, legal name "Simi Valley Hospital and Health Care Services dba Adventist Health Simi Valley"; serves Simi Valley, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, and the west San Fernando Valley; approximately 390 affiliated clinicians per Medicare data). Covered by SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16), California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation), and CNA / SEIU-UHW collective bargaining agreements where applicable. Adventist Health is a faith-based non-profit, so workers may also have religious-accommodation analysis under FEHA Cal. Gov. Code section 12940(l) and Title VII.
• Federal and non-profit workers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library - at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum (40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93065 - operated by the National Archives and Records Administration / NARA, a federal agency) and the affiliated Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute / RRPFI (a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit also located at 40 Presidential Drive). NARA federal employees are covered by the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA, 5 U.S.C. section 2302), the Whistleblower Protection Act / WPA and WPEA (5 U.S.C. section 2302(b)(8)), and may file with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Federal EEO complaints go through the federal agency EEO process under 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 with a strict 45-day deadline to contact the EEO counselor. RRPFI non-profit employees are covered by FEHA, the California Labor Code, and federal Title VII / ADA / ADEA / FMLA.
• Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) workers and cleanup contractors - at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory just outside Simi Valley, a former Boeing / NASA / Atomics International / Rocketdyne rocket-engine and nuclear-research test facility that experienced a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959 and where the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) oversees ongoing radiological and chemical cleanup. SSFL workers historically have had radiation-related occupational illness claims under the federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act / EEOICPA (42 U.S.C. section 7384 et seq.) administered by the Department of Labor; class-action and individual cancer cases under California tort law; whistleblower retaliation claims under the federal Energy Reorganization Act section 5851 (42 U.S.C. section 5851) for nuclear-safety reporting; Clean Air Act whistleblower protection (42 U.S.C. section 7622); and Cal/OSHA section 6310 retaliation protections. More than 700,000 people live within five miles of the site.
• Education workers - at the Simi Valley Unified School District / SVUSD (101 West Cochran Street, Simi Valley, CA 93065-1934; (805) 306-4500; 28 schools including Simi Valley High School, Royal High School, Santa Susana High School, Apollo High School; serves all of Simi Valley) and Moorpark College (7075 Campus Road, Moorpark, CA 93021 - largest college in the Ventura County Community College District / VCCCD with 13,000+ students on a 154-acre hillside campus near Simi Valley). K-12 teachers are covered by the California Education Code sections 44930-44987 (permanent teacher tenure, dismissal procedures, and Skelly hearings). VCCCD faculty are covered by their community-college collective bargaining agreement. All public-school and community-college employees are subject to the 6-month government-claim deadline.
• Retail, hospitality, and financial-services workers - at the Simi Valley Town Center, the Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) Simi Valley financial centers (1307 E. Los Angeles Avenue and 2830 Cochran Street / Sycamore Plaza), and chain retailers along Tapo Canyon Road, Cochran Street, Los Angeles Avenue (Highway 118), and First Street, including Costco, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and many fast-food and restaurant chains. Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474). Banking employees are subject to standard FEHA, Labor Code, and federal Title VII / ADA / ADEA / FMLA protections; banking and financial-services whistleblowers also have Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank section 922, and federal banking-agency whistleblower protections (12 U.S.C. sections 1790b, 1831j).
• Government and public-sector workers - at the City of Simi Valley (2929 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley, CA 93063 - general-law city incorporated in 1969 with a council/manager form of government), the Simi Valley Police Department (3901 Alamo Street - city-operated police, NOT contracted with the Ventura County Sheriff; sworn officers subject to POBR / Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.), the Simi Valley Fire Department, the Ventura County Superior Court East County Courthouse (3855-F Alamo Street, Simi Valley), Ventura County government offices in Simi Valley, and federal offices. Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline for state and local public employers.

SB 497 Rebuttable Presumption

SB 497 (effective January 1, 2024) amended Labor Code sections 98.6, 1102.5, and 1197.5 to create a rebuttable presumption of retaliation when an employer takes adverse action within 90 days of a protected complaint. The burden shifts to the employer to prove a non-retaliatory reason for the adverse action - a major change that strengthens Simi Valley retaliation claims. AB 692 (effective January 1, 2026) added Labor Code section 926, which voids most "stay-or-pay" contract terms.

California Law

For the full California retaliation framework, including Labor Code sections 1102.5, 98.6, 6310, 232, and 132a, the California Whistleblower Protection Act (Cal. Government Code section 8547), and FEHA retaliation (Cal. Government Code section 12940(h)), see our California employment law page.

What Compensation Can You Recover

Back pay, front pay, emotional-distress damages, punitive damages (where allowed by statute), civil penalties (up to $10,000 per violation under Labor Code section 1102.5(f); up to $25,000 per violation under Health and Safety Code section 1278.5), and attorneys' fees and costs (Labor Code section 1102.5(j)). For details, see our California employment law page.

How to File a Retaliation Claim in Simi Valley

Whistleblower and wage-retaliation claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE Van Nuys Office, 6150 Van Nuys Boulevard, Suite 100, Van Nuys, CA 91401). Cal/OSHA retaliation claims under Labor Code section 6310 have a 6-month deadline; statewide complaint line (833) 579-0927. FEHA retaliation claims go to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Los Angeles Office, 320 W. 4th Street, Suite 1000, 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Civil suits are heard at the Ventura County Superior Court, East County Courthouse, 3855-F Alamo Street, Simi Valley, CA 93063. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.