“Very thankful for everything they did for us. Always responsive, reassured us every step of the way and obtained a great result.”
Miguel Orellana
✦ 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
In Riverside's warehouse district, filing a workers' compensation claim can feel like career suicide. Workers along the I-215 and I-60 corridors know the unspoken rule: report an injury and you become a target. Suddenly your shifts get cut. Your supervisor writes you up for infractions that were never an issue before. You get reassigned to the worst tasks in the facility. Or you are simply terminated, with the employer citing a conveniently timed performance issue or restructuring. This is workers' comp retaliation, it is illegal under California law, and our firm fights it aggressively.
California Labor Code section 132a is one of the strongest anti-retaliation provisions in the country. It states that any employer who discharges, threatens to discharge, or discriminates against an employee because they filed or intended to file a workers' compensation claim is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable for increased benefits, including a penalty of up to $10,000, reimbursement of lost wages and benefits, and reinstatement to the former position. The statute also protects workers who testify in another employee's workers' compensation proceeding. These protections exist precisely because employers, particularly in high-turnover industries like warehousing and logistics, have powerful incentives to punish workers who file claims.
The Inland Empire's logistics industry has a particularly troubling track record on retaliation. Major fulfillment center operators and their staffing agency partners cycle through workers at extraordinary rates. When an injured worker files a claim, the insurance premium impact gives management a direct financial incentive to get rid of that worker and replace them with someone healthy. This is not speculation. It is a pattern documented in Cal/OSHA complaints, EEOC filings, and media investigations across the region. The workers most vulnerable to this abuse are those employed through temporary agencies, who can be "released from assignment" with no explanation and little recourse unless they have legal representation.
Eman Yazdchi, our lead attorney and a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law, has represented Riverside workers who were fired, demoted, or harassed after filing legitimate injury claims. He understands both the workers' compensation system where the underlying injury claim is adjudicated and the Labor Code section 132a framework that provides the remedy for retaliation. These two tracks often run in parallel, and having an attorney who handles both ensures your rights are fully protected.
Retaliation cases require a different skillset than standard workers' comp claims. You must prove a causal connection between the protected activity (filing or intending to file a claim) and the adverse employment action (termination, demotion, reduced hours, harassment). This often involves documenting a timeline that shows the employer's conduct changed after the claim was filed, obtaining personnel records and performance evaluations that contradict the employer's stated reasons for the adverse action, and sometimes deposing supervisors and HR personnel who made the retaliatory decisions.
Our firm handles this work at the Riverside WCAB District Office, where 132a petitions are adjudicated alongside the underlying workers' compensation claims. We know the evidentiary standards that Riverside judges apply, we know what documentation is most persuasive, and we know how to build a record that exposes retaliatory motive. We serve Riverside's diverse workforce in English, Spanish, and Farsi.
Injured at work in Riverside? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →If you believe your employer retaliated against you for filing a workers' comp claim, contact our firm immediately. Retaliation claims have procedural requirements and deadlines that must be met. We will evaluate the facts of your situation during a free consultation and, if the evidence supports a retaliation claim, file a Labor Code section 132a petition with the Riverside WCAB District Office. We then build the evidentiary record through document requests, depositions, and witness statements to establish the connection between your protected activity and the adverse action. If successful, you may be entitled to reinstatement, back pay, increased benefits, and the statutory penalty. You pay no fee unless we recover for you.
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