Can My Employer Fire Me Without a Reason in California?
California follows the at-will employment doctrine — but there are important exceptions that protect employees from unlawful terminations.
Legal Insights
California Legal Insights
Practical legal guidance on personal injury, employment rights, and business litigation in California — from Eagan Law. Serving Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and throughout Southern California.
Employment Law
California Employment Law
Wrongful termination, workplace harassment, wage claims, discrimination, and employment issues in the entertainment industry.
What Qualifies as Workplace Sexual Harassment Under California Law?
California's FEHA covers employers with as few as one employee. Learn the two types of harassment, employer liability, and how to file a claim.
California Meal and Rest Break Laws — What Employees Are Owed
California mandates specific break schedules and penalizes employers one hour of premium pay for each missed break. Learn the rules, PAGA penalties, and filing deadlines.
How to Prove Workplace Discrimination in California
Learn the McDonnell Douglas framework, what evidence matters most, and how to preserve your rights under FEHA.
Can a Hollywood Studio Fire You Without Cause?
Pay-or-play provisions, morality clauses, and guild agreements all affect termination rights in the entertainment industry.
Sexual Harassment on Set — How California Law Protects Entertainment Workers
FEHA covers actors, crew, and contractors on productions. Learn who is liable and how to report.
NDAs in the Entertainment Industry — What You Can and Cannot Be Silenced About
SB 331 and the federal SPEAK OUT Act limit what entertainment NDAs can prohibit. Learn what is enforceable.
Wage Theft in Entertainment — Unpaid Overtime, Per Diems and Residuals
From unpaid overtime to withheld residuals and misclassification, learn your rights under California law.
Non-Compete Agreements in California — Why They Are Almost Always Unenforceable
Business and Professions Code Section 16600 voids virtually all non-competes. SB 699 (2024) makes enforcement unlawful and gives employees a private right of action.
Retaliation Claims in California — Whistleblower Protections and What Employers Cannot Do
Labor Code Section 1102.5 and FEHA prohibit retaliation for reporting discrimination, harassment, and legal violations. Learn how to protect your claim.
Pregnancy Discrimination and Leave Rights in California — What Employees Are Owed
FEHA, PDL, and CFRA provide up to six months of combined protected leave. California's protections substantially exceed federal law.
Race and Gender Discrimination in the California Workplace — Rights Under FEHA
FEHA prohibits race and gender discrimination in all terms of employment. Learn the burden-shifting framework, comparator evidence, and available remedies.
Transgender and Gender Identity Discrimination in California — Rights Under FEHA and Title VII
FEHA and Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) protect transgender employees. Learn what conduct is prohibited and employer obligations under California law.
Hostile Work Environment Claims in California — When Harassment Becomes Legally Actionable
California's FEHA standard for hostile work environment is broader than federal law. Employers are strictly liable for supervisor harassment. Learn your rights.
California Wage & Hour Rules for Auto Mechanics — Piece-Rate and Flag-Rate Pay
Auto mechanics paid on a flag-rate or piece-rate basis are entitled to separate compensation for waiting time and rest breaks under Labor Code 226.2. Learn the rules and how to document a claim.
Misclassified as Exempt in California? How to Document a Wage & Hour Claim
California employers often misclassify non-exempt workers as "exempt" to avoid overtime, meal, and rest break pay. Learn the legal test, what you can recover, and how to document your claim.
Employee Theft of Company Data in California — Liability and the Effect on Wrongful Termination Claims
Taking company data before or during a dispute can expose a California employee to criminal and civil liability under Penal Code 502 and trade secret law — and can bar back pay, reinstatement, and front pay in a wrongful termination claim.
How to Document Meal Break Violations in California — A Practical Guide
California requires premium pay for missed, late, or short meal breaks. Learn exactly what records and evidence to keep to protect a meal break violation claim under Labor Code 512 and 226.7.
Diabetes and Workplace Disability Accommodation in California — Type 1, Type 2, and Related Complications
California's FEHA and the ADA treat both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes as disabilities. Learn what accommodation employers owe for diabetes and its complications, from neuropathy to kidney disease.
Returning to Work After a Stroke — Your Workplace Accommodation Rights in California
Stroke recovery is rarely linear, and California's FEHA requires employers to individually assess and accommodate it as it evolves. Learn your rights to a phased return to work.
Retaliation for Reporting Missing Safety Equipment or Toxic Chemical Exposure — Cal/OSHA Whistleblower Protections
California law protects employees who complain internally or report unsafe conditions to Cal/OSHA and other agencies. Learn your rights and the current one-year filing deadline under Labor Code 98.7.
How to Document Workplace Discrimination in California — A Step-by-Step Evidence Guide
A step-by-step guide to documenting workplace discrimination — what to save, what to write, and how to avoid the company-data pitfalls that can undermine your claim.
When Your Actual Job Doesn't Match What You Were Hired to Do — Misrepresentation and Constructive Discharge Claims
If a company misrepresented the job it hired you for, Labor Code 970 and common-law fraud or constructive discharge claims may give you a remedy. Learn your rights.
Manager in Title Only — When a Promotion Strips Your Overtime Rights Under California Law
A promotion to manager doesn't make you exempt from overtime unless you actually spend most of your time on exempt duties. Learn the test under Labor Code 515.
Retaliation After Returning From Medical Leave — CFRA and FMLA Protections in California
California and federal law protect employees from retaliation after returning from medical leave for their own serious health condition. Learn your rights under CFRA and FMLA.
Personal Injury
California Personal Injury Law
Rear-end accidents, whiplash claims, premises liability, dog bites, rideshare accidents, and navigating California's personal injury system.
Rear-End Accidents in California — Why Liability Is Almost Always Clear
The presumption of fault, what damages you can recover, and what to do immediately after a crash.
Whiplash and Soft Tissue Injuries After a Rear-End Collision
What whiplash involves, how California values soft tissue injuries, and how to counter insurer tactics.
How Insurance Companies Minimize Rear-End Claims — and How to Fight Back
Quick settlements, low-impact defenses, recorded statements — seven insurer tactics and how to counter each one.
Rear-End Accidents Involving Commercial Vehicles and Rideshares in Los Angeles
Trucks, production vans, and rideshare drivers create complex multi-defendant claims.
Premises Liability — When a Property Owner Is Responsible for Your Injuries
Slip and fall, dangerous conditions, and inadequate security — what you must prove under California law.
California's Comparative Fault Rule — How It Affects Your Injury Claim
California's pure comparative fault system lets you recover even if you were partially at fault.
Pedestrian and Cyclist Accidents in Los Angeles — California Law and What You Can Recover
California's duties to pedestrians and cyclists and what damages are available after a vehicle strike.
Dog Bite Injuries in California — Strict Liability and What Owners Owe
California's strict liability statute eliminates the one-bite rule. No prior viciousness required.
Uber and Lyft Accident Claims — How Rideshare Insurance Works
The three periods of rideshare coverage and why acting quickly to preserve app data is critical.
What to Do If the Driver Who Hit You Has Geico Insurance
Your rights as a third-party claimant, what California law requires of Geico, and the steps to protect your recovery after a rear-end collision.
Geico Called Me After a Rear-End Accident — What You Should Know Before You Respond
What the adjuster is looking for, what you are and are not required to say, and why you should consult an attorney before calling back.
How Geico Handles Rear-End Accident Claims in California
A factual overview of Geico's claims process — from liability investigation and property damage through bodily injury valuation and settlement negotiation.
Geico's First Settlement Offer After a Rear-End Accident — Is It Fair?
Why early offers rarely reflect the full value of your claim, what a fair settlement must cover under California law, and what to do if the offer is too low.
Auto vs. Pedestrian Accidents in California — Rights, Liability & Recovery
California drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, but pedestrians have duties too. Learn how fault, comparative negligence, and government claims work after a pedestrian accident.
Hit-and-Run Accidents in California — What Victims Can Recover
A hit-and-run driver fleeing the scene does not end your right to compensation. Learn how uninsured motorist coverage applies, what evidence you need, and the deadlines that apply to your claim.
Auto vs. Bicyclist Accidents in California — Rights, Liability & Recovery
California cyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers. Learn the Three Feet for Safety Act, dooring liability, comparative negligence, and what injured cyclists can recover.
Sexual Assault by a School or Government Employee — Your Civil Rights in California
California has eliminated the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims and removed the government claim filing deadline. Learn how civil claims against schools and public entities work.
Entertainment & Business Litigation
California Entertainment & Business Litigation
Arbitration clauses, right of publicity, talent contract disputes, business manager fraud, net profit participation, and business torts in the entertainment industry.
Arbitration Clauses in California Entertainment Contracts — What Talent Should Know
Arbitration clauses are standard in California entertainment contracts. Learn when they're enforceable, the Armendariz standard, fee forfeiture rules, and the Talent Agencies Act exception.
Right of Publicity & AI Digital Likeness Claims — Protecting Your Name, Voice & Image in California
California's right of publicity law now covers AI digital replicas. Learn how Civil Code 3344, AB 1836, and AB 2602 protect talent from unauthorized use of their name, voice, and likeness.
Pay-or-Play & Talent Contract Breach Claims — Protecting Your Guaranteed Compensation
When a studio or production breaches a pay-or-play guarantee, California contract law protects talent's right to compensation. Learn how these claims work and what damages are available.
Business Manager Fraud & Breach of Fiduciary Duty — Protecting Your Money in California
When a business manager or financial advisor betrays a client's trust, California law provides claims for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and conversion. Learn your rights and remedies.
Net Profit Participation & Hollywood Accounting Disputes — Recovering Your Backend in California
When a studio's profit accounting shortchanges a participant's backend, California contract law provides real remedies. Learn how net profit disputes and audit rights work.
Poaching Talent & Disrupting Deals — Tortious Interference & UCL Claims in California
When a rival induces a breach of an exclusivity clause or disrupts a distribution deal through deceptive practices, California law provides tortious interference and Unfair Competition Law claims.