Employers rarely say, “We are firing you illegally.” Instead, the truth surfaces in an employer’s timing, excuses, and patterns. Examining real-world wrongful termination examples in California makes it easier to detect those patterns and harder to dismiss them. So let’s take a look at some of the most common wrongful termination behaviors and scenarios.
Continue reading to learn what wrongful termination entails, and then contact us. At King & Siegel LLP, we exclusively represent employees. Our Los Angeles wrongful termination attorneys know the subtle but telling signs of retaliation, discrimination, and abuse that lead to wrongful termination and can help you recognize them and fight back. If your story echoes these examples, or you believe you have a wrongful termination claim, our team can evaluate your case and help you fight for the outcome you deserve.
What Are Some Wrongful Termination Examples?
The best way to understand wrongful termination is to examine what happens in workplaces. Firings often follow recognizable patterns—sudden write-ups, shifting explanations, or suspicious timing—that point to something deeper than chance. Here are ten common wrongful termination examples that mirror these patterns.
1. Fired After Reporting Harassment
An employee reports a supervisor for repeated inappropriate comments. Within weeks, sudden write-ups mar their spotless performance record, and soon after, termination follows. The timing between the complaint and dismissal often tells the story. A wrongful termination lawyer can highlight that connection, gather testimony from coworkers, and reveal the retaliation hidden behind the company’s “performance” excuse.
2. Dismissal Following a Pregnancy Announcement
A worker shares news of her pregnancy and is abruptly removed from key projects. Her employer cuts her hours, and within a month, pushes her out under vague claims of “poor fit” or “team needs.” This scenario remains one of the most common wrongful termination California examples. In these types of scenarios, a lawyer can expose the shift in treatment after the pregnancy disclosure, using schedule records and witness accounts to demonstrate discriminatory motives.
3. Termination After Requesting Medical Leave
An employee requests time off for a surgical procedure. Management initially agrees, but upon returning, management informs the employee that they have eliminated their position. When termination follows a request for medical or family leave protected under California law, it raises serious red flags. Attorneys can help employees by comparing an employee’s record before and after the leave, pulling together documentation that shows the leave, not performance, triggered the firing.
4. Fired for Reporting Unpaid Wages
After months of unpaid overtime, an employee confronts HR about missing wages. Days later, they are abruptly dismissed. Retaliating against wage complaints is illegal, but it happens frequently. Fortunately, lawyers can often use payroll records, complaint dates, and dismissal notices to establish a clear pattern of retaliation tied to wage enforcement.
5. Pushed out After Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim
A warehouse worker injures their back and files a workers’ compensation claim. Within weeks, management “restructures” and eliminates their job. Many injured employees face this exact sequence of events. But with an attorney’s help, you can show how closely the injury claim and termination align, and pursue damages for both the job loss and the retaliation that followed.
6. Termination for Refusing Unlawful Orders
A manager instructs a staff member to falsify safety inspection logs. The employee refuses, and their employer fires them for “insubordination.” This scenario represents another clear example of wrongful termination. Luckily, a lawyer knows how to reframe these dismissals not as disobedience but as a refusal to engage in illegal conduct, which courts recognize as a violation of public policy.
7. Sudden Termination After Whistleblowing
An accountant discovers irregularities that suggest fraud and reports them to the regulators. Within days, their employer eliminates their position. Whistleblowers often face this type of severe retaliation. However, attorneys can protect these employees by tying the disclosure directly to the firing and by seeking remedies that include lost income, reputational harm, and, in some cases, punitive damages.
8. Constructive Discharge
Instead of directly firing someone, an employer may reduce their hours, assign them impossible workloads, and exclude them from team meetings. The goal is to drive the worker to quit. When conditions become so unbearable that resignation is the only option, courts may treat it as termination. In these cases, lawyers help reframe the “choice” to quit as a forced exit, strengthening an employee’s wrongful termination claim.
9. Breaking a Contractual Promise
An employee signs an agreement that states termination can only occur for cause. Months later, without warning or explanation, their employer lets them go. Even in an at-will employment state like California, contracts matter. This means attorneys can enforce those written promises, demonstrating that the employer ignored its own agreement and breached its obligation.
10. Retaliation After Requesting Accommodations
An employee discloses a disability and requests a simple adjustment, such as flexible scheduling, modified equipment, or remote work. Instead of working with them, the employer grows hostile and eventually terminates their job. In these cases, an attorney can demonstrate that the request for accommodations, rather than job performance, triggered the firing and can pursue remedies for both lost wages and emotional distress.
How Can King & Siegel LLP Help Me?
At King & Siegel LLP, our attorneys investigate the facts, build evidence-backed claims, and pursue employers through negotiation or trial. We design every step to move your case forward, not leave you stuck in uncertainty. Our attorneys:
- Review your experience to determine if it amounts to wrongful termination;
- Collect evidence and connect the dots between your actions and your employer’s response;
- Handle complaints with agencies or move directly into litigation when necessary;
- Negotiate settlements or pursue trial, depending on what best serves your goals; and
- Provide accessible support, including Spanish-speaking staff, for California’s diverse workforce.
Recognized as Super Lawyers Rising Stars and boasting a 10.0 Avvo rating, our team combines top-tier credentials with a singular focus: standing with dedicated employees like you.
Want More Wrongful Termination California Examples? Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Concerns and Chart a Path Forward
At King & Siegel LLP, we offer free, 30-minute consultations to evaluate your case. Our attorneys also help reduce the stress of litigation by handling every step strategically and proactively. Call today to schedule your consultation and put proven advocates on your side.
Julian Burns King graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and founded King & Siegel in 2018. As head of the Firm’s discrimination and harassment practice areas, she champions the rights of working parents and victims of workplace discrimination and harassment. She has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers annually since 2018 and has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of her clients.