Wrongful Termination Archives

Denied Medical Leave? What California Employees Can Learn from Head v. Costco

by Matthew Ruggles | Jun 30, 2025 | Disability Discrimination, Interactive Process, Reasonable Accommodation, Workplace Discrimination, Wrongful Termination

If you’re searching for a real-world disability discrimination case study, look no further than Head v. Costco Wholesale Corp. One former Costco employee was denied medical leave after exhausting his FMLA and CFRA time while caring for his wife with cancer and...

Workplace Discrimination in California? All Employees Have Equal Rights

by Matthew Ruggles | Jun 5, 2025 | Workplace Discrimination, Wrongful Termination

Workplace discrimination law in California isn’t a popularity contest, and the United States Supreme Court just made that point loud and clear. In Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, a unanimous Court ruled that employees can’t be forced to meet a higher legal...

Indirect Sexual Harassment Is Illegal in California

by Matthew Ruggles | May 25, 2025 | Hostile Work Environment, Sexual Harassment, Workplace Harassment, Wrongful Termination

If you’re being sexually harassed at work, it’s easy to wonder if what you’re experiencing is “bad enough” to take action. Maybe your boss isn’t the one harassing you. Maybe it’s a coworker who makes constant inappropriate comments or a manager who pressures you to...

7 Employee Mistakes That Ruin Severance Negotiations

by Matthew Ruggles | May 13, 2025 | Severance Agreements, Wrongful Termination

This blog was written by Matt Ruggles, a California employment attorney with over 30 years of experience representing employees in severance negotiations across industries like technology, healthcare, and finance. Matt has helped everyone from frontline workers to...

When Does Workplace Harassment Become Illegal in California?

by Matthew Ruggles | May 6, 2025 | Hostile Work Environment, Sexual Harassment, Workplace Harassment, Wrongful Termination

Matt Ruggles is a California employment attorney with over 30 years of experience litigating workplace harassment cases. Matt has litigated claims under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) in courts and before administrative agencies and helped workers assert...

TWELVE ELEMENTS THAT MAKE A STRONG EMPLOYMENT LAWSUIT IN CALIFORNIA

by Matthew Ruggles | Apr 29, 2025 | Disability Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, Interactive Process, Reasonable Accommodation, Sexual Harassment, Unpaid Wages, Workplace Harassment, Workplace Retaliation, Wrongful Termination

By Matt Ruggles, California Employment Lawyer After more than 30 years of litigating employment law cases across California, I can now recognize certain fact patterns that differentiate a strong employment lawsuit from a weak one. I’ve represented employees (and...