Workplace Protections

The law says that your employer cannot fire you or punish you because you took off time from work to deal with an act of violence.¹ However, your employer can still fire you or punish you for other valid reasons, such as budget cuts, not doing your job well, or other reasons that have nothing to do with the fact that you or your family member is the victim of an act of violence.

Note: Sometimes, an employer will offer a fake reason for firing someone in order to hide the real reason. You might want to contact an attorney who specializes in employment discrimination or file a complaint on the California Civil Rights Division website if you have facts or evidence that:

1. your employer is not being truthful about why they fired you; and
2. the real reason they fired you was because you took off time for issues related to an act of violence.

¹ Cal. Gov. Code § 12945.8