Labor and Employment

You spend more waking hours at work than almost anywhere else — and California law says you’re entitled to be paid fully, treated fairly, and never punished for asserting your rights. When employers cross those lines, they rarely announce it. Wage theft hides in rounded time records. Discrimination hides in “restructuring.” Retaliation hides in a suddenly negative performance review. Miracle Law APC represents employees across Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, and we know how to read the patterns, the paper trail, and the timing that reveal what really happened.

Employment Claims We Handle

Wrongful termination and retaliation

At-will employment does not mean employers can fire you for an illegal reason. Termination because of a protected characteristic — or because you reported harassment, unsafe conditions, or wage violations, requested a disability or pregnancy accommodation, or took protected leave — is unlawful. Retaliation cases often turn on timing: discipline that appears days or weeks after a protected complaint speaks volumes.

Discrimination and harassment

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, sex, gender identity, age (40+), disability, pregnancy, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and more — and it applies to employers with as few as five employees, a broader reach than federal law.

Wage and hour violations

Unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, missed meal and rest breaks, misclassification as “exempt” or as an independent contractor, and final-paycheck violations. Wage theft is pervasive: the California Labor Commissioner’s Office receives tens of thousands of wage claims from workers every year. Penalties and interest can substantially increase what an employer owes.

Misclassification and the gig economy

California’s ABC test (codified by AB 5) presumes workers are employees unless the hiring entity proves otherwise. Companies that label drivers, warehouse workers, and freelancers “independent contractors” to avoid overtime, breaks, expense reimbursement, and payroll taxes can owe substantial back pay and penalties when the label doesn’t survive scrutiny.

Failure to accommodate

Employers must engage in a good-faith interactive process and provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities, medical conditions, and pregnancy — modified duties, schedule changes, or leave. Ignoring or slow-walking a request is itself a violation.

Employment Law vs. Workplace Injury: Know Which Claim You Have

Injured on the job? That’s usually a workers’ compensation claim — a no-fault system run through California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation. But the two worlds overlap more than people realize:

• Fired or punished for filing a workers’ comp claim? That’s unlawful retaliation under Labor Code § 132a — an employment claim
• Injured by a third party while working (a delivery driver hit in a car accident, for example)? You may have both a comp claim and a personal injury case
• Denied accommodations while recovering from a work injury? FEHA may apply on top of the comp system

Because Miracle Law handles personal injury and employment law under one roof, we make sure no claim — and no dollar — gets left behind.

Deadlines and Agency Filings

Employment claims run on unforgiving clocks, and many require an administrative step before you can sue. FEHA discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims generally require a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) within three years of the violation; most wage claims reach back three years (four under some theories); and claims against public employers can involve the same six-month government claim rule that applies in injury cases. Missing an administrative deadline can end an otherwise strong case, so don’t wait to get advice.

How We Build Employment Cases

1. Confidential intake — we listen first, and everything you tell us is privileged
2. Document strategy — reviews, emails, texts, schedules, pay stubs, and personnel files, assembled into a timeline that exposes pretext
3. Agency filings handled correctly — CRD complaints, right-to-sue letters, and Labor Commissioner claims
4. Aggressive negotiation and litigation — employers and their insurers settle fairly when they know your lawyer will try the case

Founder Tamar Miot is a former insurance defense attorney who spent years on the corporate side of disputes. She knows how employers’ lawyers and insurers evaluate exposure — and how to raise it.

Talk to Us Before You Sign Anything

Severance agreements, releases, and “exit interviews” are designed to protect the employer, not you. Before you sign, get a free, confidential consultation. There’s no fee unless we win, and we’re available around the clock. Call (888) 843-5290 or contact us online. Hablamos Español.