“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
Retaliation for filing a workers' comp claim is illegal in California. But in Taft, it happens — and the consequences for workers are uniquely severe. When one industry employs nearly the entire town and the oil companies all know each other, getting fired or blacklisted for filing a claim does not just cost you one job. It can cost you every job in the only industry you know, in the only town where your family lives.
Attorney Eman Yazdchi of Yazdchi Law P.C. is a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law who fights workers' comp retaliation. California Labor Code §132a makes it a misdemeanor for any employer to discriminate against a worker for filing or intending to file a workers' compensation claim. That law exists precisely for situations like the one Taft workers face.
Taft's economy revolves around the Midway-Sunset Oil Field. Oil producers, drilling contractors, pipeline companies, service companies, equipment suppliers — the entire business ecosystem is interconnected. In this environment, retaliation takes forms that go beyond a simple termination:
Direct termination. The most obvious form. An oil field worker files a claim for a back injury, and within weeks is terminated for alleged "performance issues" or a "reduction in force" that only affects them.
Constructive termination. The employer does not fire you outright but makes your work life unbearable — assigning you to the worst jobs, cutting your hours, moving you to an undesirable shift, denying overtime that everyone else gets. The goal is to make you quit so the company can say you left voluntarily.
Blacklisting. In Taft's tight-knit oil community, word travels. A worker who files a claim finds that no other company in the area will hire him. While difficult to prove, this informal blacklisting is devastating in a single-industry town.
Refusal to accommodate restrictions. After a work injury, you may have medical restrictions — no heavy lifting, limited hours, restricted duties. An employer who suddenly claims no modified work is available, when similar restrictions were accommodated for other workers, may be engaging in retaliatory conduct.
Demotion or pay reduction. Moving a worker to a lower-paying position or stripping seniority after a claim is filed constitutes retaliation when the timing and circumstances point to the claim as the motivating factor.
California Labor Code §132a provides strong protections and meaningful remedies for workers who suffer retaliation:
Any employer who discharges, threatens to discharge, or in any manner discriminates against an employee because they filed or made known their intention to file a workers' compensation claim violates §132a. The law also protects employees who testified or plan to testify in another worker's case.
If retaliation is proven, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board can award:
Additionally, the employer can be charged with a misdemeanor, although criminal prosecution is at the discretion of the district attorney.
You do not have to prove that the workers' comp claim was the only reason for the adverse action — just that it was a motivating factor. Circumstantial evidence is often the key: the timing between filing the claim and the adverse action, inconsistent explanations from the employer, deviation from normal company practices, and the treatment of similarly situated employees who did not file claims.
Fired after reporting a well site injury. A roughneck reports a shoulder injury sustained on a rig in the Midway-Sunset field. Two weeks after filing his DWC-1 claim form, he is terminated for allegedly failing a random drug test. He had passed every previous test in five years of employment. The timing and circumstances suggest the drug test was used as pretext for retaliation.
Blacklisted from oil field work. A Taft-area pipeline welder files a workers' comp claim for chemical exposure. He recovers, is released to full duty, and his employer declines to rehire him. He applies to six other companies in the area — all decline. A pattern of rejection after a prior workers' comp claim supports a retaliation claim, though proving an informal blacklist requires careful legal strategy.
Hours cut after returning from injury leave. A pumper who filed a claim for knee injury returns to work with no restrictions. His employer immediately reduces his hours from 50 per week to 25, while other pumpers continue working full time. The selective hour reduction is retaliatory discrimination.
Transferred to a dead-end position. An experienced field supervisor files a workers' comp claim for a back injury. After returning to work, he is transferred from field operations to a desk job with no advancement potential and lower pay. The employer claims it is a "business decision," but no similar transfers were made for non-claimant employees.
Retaliation cases require a lawyer who understands both the legal framework and the real-world dynamics of Taft's oil field economy. Attorney Eman Yazdchi's board certification in workers' compensation law includes deep expertise in LC §132a claims. He knows how to build a retaliation case through timeline analysis, employment records, witness testimony, and pattern evidence.
For Taft workers facing retaliation:
Injured at work in Taft? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →Filing a workers' comp claim is your legal right. Retaliation for exercising that right is illegal. If you work in Taft's oil fields and you have been fired, demoted, had your hours cut, or been blacklisted after filing a workers' comp claim, contact Yazdchi Law P.C. immediately. Board-certified specialist Eman Yazdchi will evaluate the evidence, explain your rights under LC §132a, and fight to hold your employer accountable. You did nothing wrong by filing a claim — and the law is on your side. Call today.
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.”