“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
You reported a legitimate work injury — a torn rotator cuff from years of overhead assembly work at a Plant 42 aerospace facility, a herniated disc from lifting at the Costco distribution center, or heat exhaustion after working an exposed solar farm along Avenue I with no shade breaks. You filed your DWC-1 claim form. And then your employer terminated you, slashed your hours, moved you to a worse shift, or created conditions so hostile you felt forced to resign. This is workers' compensation retaliation, and it is illegal under California Labor Code SS132a.
Retaliation against injured workers happens in Lancaster more often than most people realize. Solar energy subcontractors along the Avenue I and K corridors fire crew members rather than accommodate work restrictions or absorb insurance costs. Small construction outfits on the east side replace injured laborers with new hires the same week. Staffing agencies supplying workers to the Costco distribution center and other warehouses quietly stop scheduling employees who file claims. Retail managers along 10th Street West and at the AV Fairgrounds retail corridor cut hours or pile on unfavorable shifts. Each of these actions violates California law and triggers significant penalties.
Our firm handles LC SS132a retaliation claims for Lancaster workers from our office on Avenue M-14 in Palmdale, 15 minutes south on the 14. The penalties for employer retaliation are severe: reinstatement to your job, full back pay for the period of wrongful action, and a mandatory penalty of $10,000 or more added to your workers' comp award. If the retaliation is egregious, you may also file a separate civil wrongful termination lawsuit for emotional distress and punitive damages.
Labor Code SS132a is California's primary protection against employer retaliation in the workers' compensation context. The statute is direct: "It is the declared policy of this state that there should not be discrimination against workers who are injured in the course and scope of their employment." Any employer who violates this policy faces mandatory penalties.
Retaliation does not require termination. We have successfully prosecuted all of the following adverse actions for Lancaster workers:
To win an LC SS132a claim for a Lancaster worker, we must establish three elements:
If we establish retaliation, the WCAB can order:
Beyond the WCAB, you may also file a separate civil wrongful termination lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Civil claims unlock emotional distress damages, punitive damages, and full economic losses — remedies not available at the WCAB. We evaluate every Lancaster retaliation case for both LC SS132a and civil remedies to maximize your total recovery.
Injured at work in Lancaster? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →LC SS132a claims are filed and litigated at the Van Nuys WCAB. Civil wrongful termination claims are filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. We handle both proceedings for Lancaster workers and coordinate the strategy between them.
Retaliation claims under LC SS132a must be filed at the WCAB within one year of the discriminatory act. Civil wrongful termination claims have a two-year statute of limitations. Witnesses forget, emails get deleted, and employers rewrite the narrative. Contact our Avenue M-14 office the moment retaliation occurs.
Ready to discuss your case? Schedule a free consultation.
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