Los Angeles Employment Law Blog

Most people would agree that lying is never a good thing. In some cases, lying at work is enough to warrant termination in the state of California. But what if a manager asks an employee to lie about a situation, then fires the employee in retaliation for refusing to lie? This is allegedly what happened to an employee in another state and she filed a lawsuit.

The woman worked for an out-of-state university and was allegedly asked to lie about the role of another employee. According to the lawsuit, the employee was an immigrant working at the university through a North American Free Trade Agreement program that allowed temporary work visas. However, the lawsuit said that the employee was in a permanent managerial role that was restricted by the program.

Reporting illegal activity is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, too many workers in California face retaliation at work for reporting misconduct or illegal acts. According to recent statistics, the number of employees who have faced retaliation for reporting misconduct has nearly doubled in the last five years. Although conduct by employers has improved somewhat, there is still cause for concern.

A former elementary school principal in another state claims that she was fired in retaliation, and she has filed a lawsuit. Allegedly, the woman was fired for threatening to expose illegal activities and misconduct. According to the lawsuit, the woman was stabbed and punched by a student on two separate occasions. The woman claimed that the incidents were the result of the school district dangerously understaffing the emotional disorder programs.

Employment laws were established to protect workers from unfair acts and to ensure that all employees are correctly paid for the work they provide. Without wage-and-hour laws, there would be no legal way to hold California employers responsible for taking advantage of workers. Under these laws, employers are required to pay fair wages, overtime and reimbursement. Employees of a restaurant in another state have filed a lawsuit after the restaurant allegedly violated several wage-and-hour laws.

The plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, three former employees, seek to represent over 250 employees that worked for the defendant over the last three years. The lawsuit alleges that the defendant did not pay overtime or minimum wages. According to the claim, the restaurant owners frequently required hourly employees to work after clocking out.

When an employee witnesses an illegal act in the workplace, he or she should do the right thing and report it. Unfortunately, employees may fear retaliation, and thus illegal or inappropriate actions can go unreported. However, many California workers may be unaware that they are protected by state Whistleblower Protection laws. Whistleblowing employees who face retaliatory acts can file a complaint and may be able to pursue legal action.

A former employee of the city of Adelanto recently filed a lawsuit over claims that he was retaliated against and fired for blowing the whistle on city officials. The man worked as an IT supervisor for the city. According to the lawsuit, an FBI investigation was conducted against several city officials. The plaintiff said he cooperated with the investigation and sent the FBI electronic documents that were requested.