Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Victorville

If you experienced wrongful termination at a Victorville 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 Victorville

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 Victorville 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).

Victorville Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Aviation, aerospace, and logistics workers at SCLA - at the Southern California Logistics Airport / SCLA on the property of the former George Air Force Base (closed in 1994 by BRAC - Base Realignment and Closure). SCLA is a 2,500-acre logistics, aviation, and advanced-manufacturing hub with ~4,500 jobs at 62+ businesses - the largest single employment center in the Victor Valley. Tenants include FedEx, Boeing, ComAv, GE Aviation Systems, Pratt & Whitney, and the famed boneyard for retired commercial aircraft. Aviation maintenance workers are covered by AIR21 (49 U.S.C. section 42121) whistleblower protection and FARs (14 C.F.R.). Federal contractors at SCLA are covered by NDAA section 4712 (41 U.S.C. section 4712) whistleblower protection and federal False Claims Act protection (31 U.S.C. section 3730(h)). Truck drivers serving SCLA logistics are covered by federal STAA whistleblower protection (49 U.S.C. section 31105).
• Healthcare workers - at Desert Valley Hospital / DVH (16850 Bear Valley Road, Victorville, CA 92395, (760) 241-8000 - 148-bed acute care hospital operated by Prime Healthcare; the principal community hospital in Victorville) and Victor Valley Global Medical Center (formerly Victor Valley Community Hospital). 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 California Nurses Association (CNA) / SEIU-UHW collective bargaining agreements (which do not waive statutory FEHA or California Labor Code rights).
• Federal corrections and government workers - at the Victorville Federal Correctional Complex (operated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons / BOP - houses multiple security-level facilities and is one of the largest federal employers in the High Desert). 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 the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Federal EEO complaints go through the federal agency EEO process under 29 C.F.R. Part 1614, NOT through CRD or state EEOC intake. The federal employee EEO deadline is only 45 days from the discriminatory act.
• Retail and consumer-services workers - at the Mall of Victor Valley and chain retailers along Bear Valley Road, Roy Rogers Drive, and Hesperia Road. Common claims: wage and hour (off-the-clock and rounding violations under Cal. Labor Code sections 226.7, 510, 512), commission disputes (Cal. Labor Code section 2751), and sexual harassment under FEHA (Cal. Gov. Code section 12940(j)). Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).
• Education workers - at the Victor Valley Union High School District / VVUHSD, the Victor Elementary School District (K-8), and Victor Valley College / VVC (the principal community college for the High Desert, with main campus in Victorville and a Hesperia Campus on the campus of Hesperia High School). Protected by Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194 due-process rights, California Whistleblower Protection Act (Cal. Gov. Code section 8547), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Government and public-sector workers - at the City of Victorville (14343 Civic Drive - charter city with Council-Manager form of government), the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department - Victorville Station (Victorville contracts law enforcement through SBCSD - deputies are RCSO employees subject to POBR / Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.), and the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District. Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.

Victorville Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Victorville 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 Victorville

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 San Bernardino Office, 464 West 4th Street, Suite 348, San Bernardino, CA 92401). Civil suits are heard at the San Bernardino County Superior Court, Victorville District, 14455 Civic Drive, Victorville, CA 92392. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.