“Eman at Yazdchi Law was extremely professional, responsive, and supportive at all times. He and his staff exceeded all of my expectations.”
Andrea Dalessandro
✦ Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law — State Bar of California ✦
Your employer cannot punish you for getting hurt. If they did, we’ll make them pay.
By Eman Yazdchi, Esq. · Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law
Chatsworth's industrial employers depend on a workforce that shows up every day, operates heavy machinery, moves product, and keeps production lines running. When a worker in this environment files a workers' compensation claim, some employers see it not as a legal right being exercised but as a disruption to be eliminated. The termination letter arrives within days of the injury report. The shift schedule changes to hours the employer knows you cannot work. The temp agency that placed you at the warehouse suddenly has no more assignments available. These are acts of retaliation, they violate California Labor Code section 132a, and they expose the employer to penalties, back pay obligations, and reinstatement orders.
Section 132a is one of the strongest worker protection provisions in California law. It makes it a misdemeanor for any employer to discharge, threaten to discharge, or otherwise discriminate against an employee for filing or intending to file a workers' compensation claim, for receiving a workers' comp award, or for testifying in another worker's case. The statute empowers the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board to award increased compensation of up to $10,000, reimbursement of lost wages and employment benefits from the date of the discriminatory act, and reasonable attorney's fees. In cases involving termination, the judge may also order reinstatement to the employee's former position with full seniority.
Retaliation in Chatsworth's industrial sector has particular characteristics that we have observed across years of practice. The use of temporary staffing agencies creates a unique vulnerability: when a temp worker files a claim, the staffing agency simply stops assigning them to any facility, effectively terminating their employment without a formal firing. The agency claims there are no available assignments, the host employer claims the worker was never their employee, and the injured worker is left without work and without recourse — unless they have an attorney who understands how to hold both entities accountable under section 132a.
Manufacturing and warehouse employers in the industrial parks along Devonshire Street and Lassen Street also retaliate through more subtle mechanisms. A production worker returns from medical leave with restrictions against lifting more than 20 pounds, and the employer claims there is no modified duty available — despite the fact that the facility has dozens of light-duty positions in quality control, data entry, and inventory management. A warehouse supervisor tells a returning worker that their position has been filled and they will need to reapply when a new opening comes up. A forklift operator is moved from a day shift to a graveyard shift that is incompatible with their medical treatment schedule. Each of these actions, if motivated by the worker's comp claim, constitutes illegal retaliation.
Retaliation cases require an attorney who can connect the dots between the protected activity and the adverse employment action, often through circumstantial evidence that the employer will vigorously contest. Our firm has built successful retaliation cases using personnel records that show no performance issues before the injury claim, emails and text messages that reveal management discussions about the cost of the claim, testimony from coworkers who witnessed supervisory hostility toward the injured worker, and timeline evidence showing the suspicious proximity between the claim filing and the adverse action.
We handle the LC 132a petition as an integrated part of your broader workers' compensation case at the Van Nuys WCAB. This allows us to present the retaliation evidence in the context of the underlying injury — showing the judge not only that the employer punished you for filing a claim but that the employer's conduct compounds the harm caused by the original workplace injury. When the facts support additional claims under the Fair Employment and Housing Act or Labor Code section 1102.5, we coordinate with employment litigation counsel to pursue those remedies in civil court, where damages can include emotional distress, punitive damages, and other relief beyond the WCAB's jurisdiction.
Injured at work in Chatsworth? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →We begin by building a detailed timeline that maps every interaction between you and your employer from the date of your injury through the adverse action. We collect employment records, attendance logs, performance evaluations, internal communications, and any documentation that establishes your work history and the employer's pattern of conduct. We file an LC 132a petition with the Van Nuys WCAB, which is heard alongside your underlying injury case. At hearing, we present evidence demonstrating that the employer's stated justification for the adverse action is pretextual and that the real reason was your exercise of workers' compensation rights. If we prevail, the judge awards increased compensation, back pay from the date of the retaliatory act through the date of the award, and attorney's fees. We also seek reinstatement when it is in our client's interest. The entire process is handled on contingency — you pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Ready to discuss your case? Schedule a free consultation.
Schedule Free ConsultationRead more testimonials →“Eman at Yazdchi Law was extremely professional, responsive, and supportive at all times. He and his staff exceeded all of my expectations.”