Retaliated Against for Doing the Right Thing?
California Labor Code §1102.5 protects you. We hold employers accountable when they punish workers for protected activity.
Retaliation has a tell. It is the timeline.
When the discipline starts within weeks of a complaint or a protected request, that is not a coincidence. Under Lawson v. PPG, your protected activity only has to be a contributing factor in the adverse action.
You reported harassment, fraud, or safety and got the PIP
Your last review was strong. You raised something real to HR or a supervisor. A "performance improvement plan" landed soon after. That sequence is the heart of a §1102.5 case.
You filed a workers-comp claim and got demoted
Hours cut, schedule shifted, role re-titled, route reassigned. Labor Code §132a, FEHA, and public-policy claims all reach this kind of payback for a workers-comp filing.
You asked HR about your rights and watched your hours get cut
You asked about overtime, meal breaks, leave eligibility, or accommodation. The response was a quiet drop in scheduling, a fewer-shift week, or a sudden "performance" conversation. That is actionable.
Retaliation cases are won on the documents and the dates.
We pull the records. We build the timeline. We prepare for trial. That is what gets retaliation cases resolved on terms that serve the worker.
Trial-Ready From Day One
Retaliation cases that settle for real money are the ones the defense believes will go to verdict.
ABOTA Fellow Representation
David Safvati is a Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a peer-elected trial bar.
Direct Partner Attention
You meet with David, not an intake screener. He stays on the file from first call to verdict.
California-Only Practice
Deep state-court experience in LA Superior and the California Court of Appeal.
Paid Consultation, Real Strategy
You leave the consult with a clear read on the case, not a sales pitch.
Award-winning trial lawyers. Verdicts that hold up.
Peer-recognized credentials and the trial record to back them. The recognitions below come from independent bar bodies and rating organizations.
After extensive motion practice, discovery, and trial, the jury returned a $146,000,000 verdict — recognized among the Top 100 Jury Verdicts in California.
Judgment entered prior to trial after extensive litigation and motion practice, resulting in a decisive recovery for the client.
After contested motion practice, discovery, and trial, the jury returned a verdict of $3,234,727 in favor of the client.
Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Each case turns on its own facts.
David M. Safvati
- ABOTA Fellow
- Founder, Westview Law
- Hon. Jessner Law-Clerk Fellowship
- Trial + Court of Appeal Record
David founded Westview Law to do plaintiff-side employment litigation the way it should be done: by lawyers who actually try cases. He is a Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a peer-elected bar reserved for attorneys with a substantive trial record. He regularly argues complex motions in California Superior Courts and at the California Court of Appeal.
Earlier in his career, David served as a law clerk fellow with the Hon. Samantha P. Jessner, Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. That bench-side perspective shapes how he prepares every retaliation case at Westview: with the courtroom, not the conference room, in mind.
A clear path from the first call to the verdict.
No mystery, no runaround. Here is exactly how a retaliation case moves through Westview.
You call or submit the form
Phone, form, or email. We respond the same business day, usually faster.
Paid consultation with David
Not a screener. You sit with David, walk through the timeline, and leave with a real read on the case.
We investigate, demand, and file
Records, witnesses, a written demand. If it does not settle pre-suit, we file in California Superior Court.
We try the case if needed
If the offer is not what serves you, we take it to a jury. That is how the firm is built.
A picture of what retaliation representation looks like at trial.
Manager reports wage theft, gets the firm's first-ever PIP three weeks later
The client was a regional manager who flagged a payroll practice that misclassified hourly workers as exempt. He raised it in writing to his VP and to HR. Three weeks later, he received a performance improvement plan citing "communication issues," the first PIP issued in his department in five years. He was terminated 60 days into the plan.
We pulled five years of personnel files, the prior reviews, every email between the client and HR after the report, and the wage records that backed up his original complaint. The Lawson v. PPG contributing-factor standard fit the facts cleanly. The case proceeded under §1102.5 and produced a jury verdict that included lost wages, emotional-distress damages, and a fee award.
Illustrative case study (composite). The scenario above is a composite drawn from the kinds of retaliation matters our team has handled. It is not a description of a single client and is presented for general information only. Prior results do not guarantee or predict similar outcomes. Every case turns on its own facts.
The questions employees actually ask before they call.
What counts as "protected activity"?
What does the McDonnell Douglas framework actually mean for me?
What changed under Lawson v. PPG?
What evidence should I preserve right now?
What are the deadlines?
How long does a retaliation case take?
What kinds of damages can I recover?
Tell us what happened.
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Speaking by phone is the fastest way to get a real read on a retaliation claim. We answer or return calls within the business day.
(310) 906-4862 Direct line · paid consultationWestview Law1880 Century Park East STE 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90067
HoursMonday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Pacific. After-hours messages are returned the next business morning.
