Pasadena Employment Lawyers Representing First Responders
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$2 Billion
in Personal Injury Results
$150 Million
in Employment Law Results
for First Responders
Protecting first responders when employers violate their rights for 35 years
Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, court officers, and many other government employees are the first to respond when our security is at risk, there are fires, or our health is in danger. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our employment lawyers appreciate the work first responders do to protect the Pasadena community. That’s why we protect first responders when their employers adversely affect the employment of first responders through discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, or the failure to pay first responders their full work-related income and benefits. Our Pasadena employment lawyers for first responders have obtained more than $150 million in recoveries for our clients across California. Call us now if your employer is not honoring your rights.
Quick questions
- When can first responders file an employee rights claim in Pasadena?
- Who qualifies to file a discrimination claim in Pasadena?
- Who qualifies to file a harassment claim in Pasadena?
- Who qualifies to file a retaliation claim in Pasadena?
- Which first responders do McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP represent?
- What laws do you use to assert the employment rights of first responders in Pasadena?
- How do you assert my employment rights in Pasadena?
- What is the value of a first responder’s employment claim in California?
- Do you have a Pasadena first responder employment lawyer near me?
When can first responders file an employee rights claim in Pasadena?
John McNicholas, Patrick McNicholas, Matthew McNicholas, and our other accomplished employment lawyers handle a broad range of employment claims, including the following:
- Discrimination and harassment claims. When employers adversely affect the employment rights of any worker who belongs to a “protected class,” we file discrimination and harassment claims. Harassment includes the creation of a hostile work environment or conditioning employment on sexual favors/acts. We discuss discrimination and harassment claims in more detail below.
- Retaliation claims. Our Pasadena employment attorneys hold police departments, fire departments, the City of Pasadena, and the County of Los Angeles accountable when they try to punish workers who assert their legal rights.
- Executive compensation claims. At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we hold employers to their duty to pay police chiefs, fire chiefs, and other first responder executives the salary, insurance coverage, retirement benefits, severance pay, and other financial compensation they deserve – based on their employment contracts.
- Wage and hour claims. Our Pasadena employment lawyers demand that employers pay you the wages you earned in accordance with your collective bargaining contracts, employment contracts, and any relevant employment laws.
- Wrongful termination lawsuits. We seek job reinstatement and/or financial compensation if your employer terminates your job in violation of any relevant laws or your employment contracts.
Who qualifies to file a discrimination claim in Pasadena?
To be eligible to file a discrimination lawsuit, you must be a member of a “protected class” and your employer must adversely affect your employment in some way. Generally, the federal and California discrimination laws protect employees, independent contractors, and volunteers.
Protected class status
Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964, other federal discrimination laws, and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act protect employees and other eligible workers from decisions based on any of the following identity characteristics:
- Race or color
- Ancestry or national origin
- Sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and pregnancy
- A disability
- Religion or creed
- A medical condition
- Genetic information;
- Age – being 40 or older
- Marital status
- Military or veteran status
Adverse employment conditions
Examples of adverse employment conditions include:
- Firing you or suspending you.
- Denying you a promotion or a raise that you have earned.
- Not considering your application for work.
- Refusing to train you or provide opportunities for advancement that others in your category have.
- Giving other workers (those who are not members of a protected class) better job assignments.
- Not providing disabled or pregnant workers the reasonable workplace accommodations they need.
Who qualifies to file a harassment claim in Pasadena?
At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we understand how critical it is for first responders to trust and respect the people they work with. We hold employers accountable when they violate that trust and respect by making work insufferable.
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (CFEHA) and federal harassment laws prohibit employers from harassing workers who belong to a protected class from the following types of harassment:
- Hostile workplace environment harassment. A hostile workplace is a work environment where you cannot focus on your job because your employer creates or tolerates offensive verbal conduct (such as offensive conversations, jokes, images, messages, and postings) and offensive physical conduct (such as blocking your movements). Sexually offensive conduct can create a hostile workplace environment when the verbal/physical conduct is sexually offensive (including sexual advances, conversations, photos, videos, leering, and other offensive sexual discussions or actions).
- Quid pro quo harassment. This type of harassment involves an employer or someone who can affect your employment, conditions your employment on sexual favors or sexual advances.
Who qualifies to file a retaliation claim in Pasadena?
Our Pasadena employment lawyers file retaliation claims for first responders if your employer tries to pressure you or punish you for asserting your legal rights (or the rights of another worker). These rights include:
- Filing a discrimination, harassment, or retaliation claim.
- Requesting family medical leave.
- Disclosing fraud in the workplace.
- Filing a claim for workers’ compensation benefits – a common action for many first responders who risk their health every day.
- Seeking enforcement of your contract rights.
- Requesting reasonable accommodations if you have a disability or are pregnant.
Which first responders do McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP represent?
Our Pasadena employment lawyers represent the following types of first responders, among others:
- Law enforcement officers - Police officers, sheriff’s deputies, bomb squad technicians, SWAT officers, and other law enforcement workers
- Firefighters
- Correction officers
- Court officials
- Drug officials
- EMTs, paramedics, and medevac operators
- Park rangers and public works employees
- Emergency telecommunications workers
- School officers
What laws do you use to assert the employment rights of first responders in Pasadena?
Our Pasadena first responder employment lawyers use the following laws to support the employment rights of first responders.
California laws:
- California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
- California Family Rights Act
- California False Claims Act
Federal laws:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
- The Family and Medical Leave Act
- The Equal Pay Act which requires that women and men receive equal pay for equal work
- The Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- The Federal False Claims Act
- The Trauma Treatment Act
- The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
How do you assert my employment rights in Pasadena?
Our Pasadena employment rights lawyers represent first responders at the following agencies and courts:
Agencies:
Courts:
- The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
- The S. District Court for the Central District of California
Our lawyers file claims against the employers of first responders. These employers include the Pasadena Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Pasadena Fire Department.
Our respected employment lawyers can review your employment status and duties, what happened, which rights your employer violated, what remedies you have, and what damages you deserve. Our employment lawyers work with professionals in your type of first responder service. We also work with financial professionals, vocational professionals, and discrimination professionals when necessary. We use the formal discovery process to question your employer, coworkers, and anyone with knowledge of your work and your claim.
Our lawyers also use the discovery process to obtain written copies of documents like your employment contracts, performance reviews, and all other relevant information.
Our Pasadena first responder lawyers work with employment agencies to attempt to resolve your complaints. If you cannot resolve your complaints through the appropriate state or federal agency, we will persuasively argue your case in front of a Los Angeles County judge and jury. Our lawyers have tried hundreds of cases before juries.
What is the value of a first responder’s employment claim in California?
Employers who violate the employment laws and contracts that protect you should compensate you in full for all your financial and personal damages. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we demand compensation for the following past/back and future/front damages, depending on your type of employment claim:
- Financial damages. These include all lost wages, bonuses, overtime salary, health benefits, retirement benefits, seniority, accrued leave, accrued vacation, and other benefits. On behalf of any employees who have a written employment contract (such as a collective bargaining agreement or an executive compensation agreement), we demand financial compliance with those agreements.
- Personal damages. Our Pasadena employment lawyers demand compensation, to the extent the law authorizes, for your emotional trauma and any damage to your professional reputation.
- Additional damages. We demand payment for your attorney fees, statutory damages, and punitive damages.
- Injunctive relief. Our Pasadena first responder lawyers seek judicial orders to reinstate you, consider your application fairly, promote you, provide reasonable workplace accommodations, and other court orders.
Do you have a Pasadena first responder employment lawyer near me?
McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP consults with first responders remotely by phone and through Zoom, FaceTime, and other online video platforms. Our office is located at 10866 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400, Los Angeles, 90024.
Our philosophy is clear. First responders protect Pasadena. Our Pasadena employment lawyers work to protect those who protect us.
Contact McNicholas & McNicholas today
Our Pasadena first responder employment lawyers have 35 years of experience fighting for the rights of employees. We understand the unique challenges involved in filing claims against public and private employers. Our lawyers anticipate and counter the arguments employers regularly assert to try to deny or limit your claim. Call us or fill out our contact form today to schedule a free consultation.
List of agencies we are suing or have sued
- Berkeley Fire/CoB (Non-LEO)
- Berkeley PD
- Chula Vista PD
- City of Richmond (Non-LEO/Employment)
- Contra Costa Sheriff (Non-LEO/Employment)
- Culver City PD (Non-LEO)
- El Monte PD
- El Segundo PD
- Fremont PD
- Huntington Beach PD
- LA Co Sheriff
- LAFD
- LAPD
- LAWA
- Palo Alto PD
- Pomona PD
- Redondo Beach PD
- Riverside PD
- San Diego PD
- San Joaquin County Sheriff
- Santa Barbara County Sheriff
- Shasta County Sheriff
- Ukiah PD
- Walnut Creek PD
- Willits PD