Pasadena Employment Lawyers Representing Firefighters
Free Case Evaluation
$2 Billion
in Personal Injury Results
$150 Million
in Employment Law Results
for First Responders
Accomplished representation for firefighters when fire departments discriminate, harass, or retaliate
Firefighters risk their lives to save people and property. A perfect example is the heroic efforts of the firefighters in early January 2025 when they battled the blazes in Pasadena and the entire Los Angeles region. Firefighters help to extinguish wildfires, residences, commercial property, and anything that can burn a structure or an entire community. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our employment attorneys work to protect the jobs and employment rights of the brave firefighters who protect California.
Our Pasadena employment lawyers file discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and compensation claims when fire departments fail to comply with discrimination laws, employment contracts, and all other legal rights of employees. We have 35 years of experience advocating for the rights of firefighters and all first responders. Call us now to assert your employee rights.
Our firefighter employment successes include:
$3 Million
in a retaliation case. Our lawyers secured this sum for six firefighters who disclosed a dangerous and unlawful “Operation Catch-Up” fire department program.
$2.75 Million
in another retaliation case. Our attorneys obtained this amount for a fire department employee who disclosed potential grant fraud and abuse.
$1.5 Million
in a discrimination, harassment, and retaliation case. Our Fresno employment lawyers helped two firefighters obtain this amount of compensation when their employer violated the California Fair Employment Housing Act.
$1.5 Million
for a municipal fire agency worker when a disabled worker was forced to accept an administrative job (even though he had completed his injury rehabilitation), was harassed, and ultimately forced to resign due to his disability and workplace restrictions.
Quick questions
- What types of employee rights claims do you file for Pasadena firefighters?
- When can firefighters file a discrimination claim in Pasadena?
- When can firefighters file a harassment claim in Pasadena?
- When can firefighters file a retaliation claim in Pasadena?
- What federal and state employment laws protect firefighters in Pasadena?
- What damages can I receive if my fire department violates my employee rights?
- Do you have a Pasadena firefighter employment lawyer near me?
What types of employee rights claims do you file for Pasadena firefighters?
Our Pasadena employment lawyers represent firefighters and their support staff in the following types of claims:
- Discrimination and harassment claims. We represent employees who belong to a “protected class” who are treated adversely due to their protected class characteristics, such as race or gender. We also represent members of a protected class when their employers create a hostile work environment or condition employment on sexual favors (quid pro quo harassment).
- Retaliation claims. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we file retaliation claims when fire departments try to punish workers for asserting their rights.
- Wage and hour claims. We hold fire departments to their duty to pay firefighters for every hour they work.
- Executive compensation claims. Our Pasadena employment lawyers file claims that demand that fire departments, the city of Pasadena, and the County of Los Angeles honor the contracts they make. We demand payment for your salary, health insurance, pension and other retirement benefits, severance pay, and any other financial benefits set forth in your employment contracts.
- Qui tam/whistleblower claims and family leave claims. We file retaliation claims when fire departments punish firefighters and other workers who disclose that their employers are engaging in fraud when they submit their bills to the government or seek authorized family medical leave.
- Wrongful termination claims. Our Pasadena firefighter employment lawyers file claims demanding job reinstatement and/or financial compensation when fire departments violate federal or state employment laws, collective bargaining agreements, or employment contracts.
- Other employment claims.
When can firefighters file a discrimination claim in Pasadena?
There are two core requirements for filing a discrimination claim. A covered worker (generally, employees, contractors, and volunteers) must be a member of a protected class, and the City of Pasadena Fire Department must negatively/adversely affect their employment.
Protected class
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act and many federal laws define protected classes as anyone whose employment is influenced based on the following identity factors:
- Race, color, ancestry, or national origin
- Sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression
- Pregnancy
- Genetic information
- A medical condition
- A physical or mental disability
- Religion
- Marital status
- Veteran/military status
Adverse employment conditions
The Pasadena Fire Department can adversely affect your employment by:
- Terminating your employment or suspending you.
- Denying you a deserved raise or promotion.
- Reducing your pay.
- Not providing reasonable workplace accommodations for disabled or pregnant workers.
- Harassing you or failing to stop others from harassing you.
- Refusing to fairly consider your application for employment.
- Failing to provide necessary training.
- Failing to provide opportunities for advancement if others have those opportunities.
When can firefighters file a harassment claim in Pasadena?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (CFEHA) protect employees, independent contractors, and volunteers from workplace harassment. Workplace harassment includes employers (and their staff) who:
- Harass you.
- Cause you to witness the harassment of others.
- Fail to create and implement harassment prevention policies.
Harassment of firefighters or other first responders is especially dangerous because they need to work as a team.
Our Pasadena firefighter employment lawyers file harassment claims if you are a member of a protected class and your employer harasses you in one of the following ways:
Hostile workplace harassment
This type of harassment occurs when workplace harassment involves offensive or abusive conversations, jokes, images, social media posts, and other verbal and physical conduct – if the conduct prevents you from focusing on your job duties.
Workers can file a sexual harassment claim if the verbal or physical conduct involves sexual advances, sexual conversations, sexual images, or any nonconsensual sexual conduct.
Quid pro quo harassment
Employers and anyone who controls your job status cannot condition your employment on sexual advances or sexual favors.
When can firefighters file a retaliation claim in Pasadena?
Our Pasadena employment lawyers protect firefighters and their staff when fire departments punish (or try to punish) a worker who asserts their legal rights or helps another worker assert their legal rights. These legal rights include the right to:
- File a discrimination, harassment, whistleblower, family medical leave, or workers’ compensation claim.
- Request reasonable workplace accommodations due to a disability or pregnancy.
- Assert any other legal right.
What federal and state employment laws protect firefighters in Pasadena?
At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we use every employment law that protects your employee rights, depending on the specific rights your employer is violating. These laws include:
California employment laws:
- The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA);
- The California False Claims Act; and
- The California Family Rights Act
Federal employment laws:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA);
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
- The Equal Pay Act of 1963;
- The Family Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act;
- The Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act;
- The Federal False Claims Act;
- The Trauma Treatment Act; and
- The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
In addition to the laws/statutes that protect employees, we also hold employers accountable if they violate any employment agreements, such as collective bargaining agreements and executive compensation agreements.
Our Pasadena firefighter employment lawyers file your claim in the following agencies and courts:
What damages can I receive if my fire department violates my employee rights?
At McNicholas & McNicholas, we demand that fire departments that violate your employee rights make you whole again. We demand compensation for all your damages from the time of the violation until now and all your future damages. These damages, depending on the type of claim you have, include the following:
- Income – wages, bonuses, overtime, and salary
- Executive compensation and severance pay
- Health insurance
- Seniority benefits
- Retirement benefits, including pension benefits
- Your personal suffering
- Any damage to your reputation
- Statutory damages
- Lawyer fees and court costs
- Punitive damages for unconscionable conduct
Our Pasadena firefighter employment lawyers also seek to have the judge order your job reinstatement, order a promotion you deserve, order a raise you deserve, and other court orders.
Do you have a Pasadena firefighter employment lawyer near me?
McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP meets with firefighters and the personnel that support firefighters at our office located at 10866 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400, Los Angeles, 90024. We regularly consult with clients remotely by phone and through online video platforms, such as Zoom and FaceTime.
We’re prepared to answer your questions and support you through each step of your claim.
Speak with our Pasadena firefighter employment attorneys now
Our firefighters risk their lives to save individuals, families, and communities. They risk burns and lung disorders to save homes, business structures, and every part of Pasadena. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we have 35 years of experience fighting for firefighters and other first responders. We’ve helped many employees like you obtain strong recoveries. Please call our Pasadena firefighter employment lawyers or complete our easy-to-use contact form today to schedule a free consultation. We are ready to hold your employer accountable.
List of Fire Departments We are Suing or Have Sued
- Berkeley Fire/CoB (Non LEO)
- Los Angeles Fire Department