Employment Fraud Attorney
Although seventy-five years have passed since John Steinbeck wrote about the exploitation of migrant workers in California many of the labor abuses described in his book, such as fraudulent recruitment for jobs, continues to be practiced by many California employers.I am Karl A. Gerber, founder and lead trial attorney of the Employment Lawyers Group. If you are a victim of employment fraud, you may be entitled to compensation under laws that are designed to protect workers. Contact us to discuss your case and your options. In Southern California, we have three offices in Los Angeles County, an office in Tustin, Riverside, Oxnard, and Bakersfield. We handle employee lawsuits in all parts of California.
Examples of employment fraud include:
- False recruiting for a job that does not exist
- Promising a good salary for a job that only pays commissions
- Promising additional compensation but not delivering it
- Failing to disclose the short-term nature of the job
Many different legal theories protect against recruitments for positions that do not pan out in the manner so promised. Our employment fraud lawyers will examine whether the workplace wrong falls into the category of a breached contract including unwritten contracts such as oral contracts or implied contracts. We will also consider whether legal theories such as promissory fraud or promissory estoppel may apply. Quantum meriut is yet another theory we have used in order to obtain reasonable compensation for employees based upon the services they rendered for a company, but were not paid.
Employment fraud may also lead to California Labor Code Violations due to a nonpayment of wages. These are penalties in addition to what the employee is owed, and may also include minimum compensation for wages and overtime. Employers who are liable for many of the California Labor Code violations are also liable for the employee’s attorney fees.
If you were fraudulently induced by an employer to move from one place to another, in the State of California, the employer is liable for double damages under California Labor Code Section 972. Employment fraud is no joke. Punitive damages and damages for emotional injury are available remedies in addition to lost wages and the costs of moving.
Other instances of employer fraud include employers who are engaging in fraud on members of the public. These members of the public may be customers or the government. If an employee is fired or forced to quit due to her/his refusal to go along with the employer’s fraud the employee may have a case for wrongful termination.
In addition to a wrongful termination lawsuit the employee may also find they are a qui tam whistleblower entitled to a government finder’s fee if they turn their employer into the federal or state government because the employer has made false claims for money to the government.
Contact an Employment Fraud Attorney - Se habla espanol, llamame ahora!
To speak with a Los Angeles employment fraud lawyer, call (818) 783-7300 toll free. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis with no upfront costs. Se habla español.
Our Firm: No Upfront Fees or Costs
Contingency Fee Representation
All employment cases for employees are taken on a contingency basis. We are only paid a fee when and if we win your case, and we advance all litigation costs. Our goal is to make expert legal representation accessible to every hardworking employee.
Serving Los Angeles County
We have proudly served all of Los Angeles County since 1993.
The Employment Lawyers Group has successfully handled
Separate California Employment Cases
Media Engagements















Sample Case Results
breach of commission contract
$1,150,000
Unpaid commissions of two plaintiffs
unpaid wages
$875,000
For 4 oil field service industry workers whose times worked were not recorded on timesheets and were on-call
forced to work without pay standby pay case
$800,000
Controlled stand by class action settlement
Employment Case
$800,000
Failure to pay prevailing wage to maintenance technicians on state property
misclassified independent contractor employment lawyer
$800,000
For mis-classified independent contractors
care givers not paid wages
$775,000
For small class action of employees not allowed meal breaks or cell phone reimbursements while caring for dependent adults
peep hole sexual harassment at restaurant
$365,000
Sexual harassment of a delivery driver
Employment Case
$365,000
After defendant lost their appeal - pregnancy case - Jury Trial
pregnancy discrimination trial result
$365,000
Vasquez v. Del Rio Sanitarium Pregnancy Discrimination Case - Following Jury Trial & Appeal
hotel workers not paid for all time worked
$360,000
For missed meal and rest breaks, and overtime for 3 employees, and PAGA penalties for less than 25
prevailing wage lawyer
$350,000
For prevailing wage and paystub itemizations
unpaid wages
$350,000
For controlled standby and overtime for one employee
unpaid wages
$350,000
Due to fixed bonus pay not figured into overtime for a directional driller
fixed rate bonus not in overtime case result
$350,000
For directional driller whose fixed rate bonuses were not calculated into his overtime rate
Employment Case
$325,000
Sexual Harassment on a studio lot by manager
unpaid wages
$302,000
Controlled standby pay for two telecommunication workers in a hospital
unpaid rest break
$300,000
Verdict of punitive damages in wrongful termination case due to employee's refusal to work without rest breaks
Not paid to sleep case result
$300,000
Multiple Worker Claims for Unpaid Wages for Oil Gauge and Calibration Inspectors on Docked Coastal Vessels
Employment Case
$300,000
Post trial verdict for wrongful termination settlement and minor rest break violations
on call overtime case result
$275,000
Unpaid minimum wage, overtime double and double time due to on call work for two technicians at a radio/television station
retaliation for sexual harassment law firm
$270,000
Sexual harassment & employment termination
Employment Case
$250,000
Sexual harassment of union studio worker by supervisor
Employment Case
$250,000
Sexual harassment of older straight woman by straight older woman in hospital
arbitration case result disability discrimination
$246,000
Breach of fiduciary duty arbitration award involving disability discrimination
Employment Case
$150,000
Settlement for failure to reinstate after maternity leave
Employment Case
$150,000
Wrongful termination of C.N.A. in assisted living facility who blew whistle
Employment Case
$150,000
Sexual harassment followed by pregnancy discrimination in the parts department of a car dealership
Employment Case
$150,000
Sexual harassment of an eight-teen year old restaurant worker
Employment Case
$150,000
Cancer discrimination & termination of waitress Wrongful Termination of Site Manager
Employment Case
$150,000
Big box retail employee fired for reporting manager making him work off-the-clock, no meal breaks
Employment Case
$150,000
Wrongful termination of social worker reporting patient abuse
Employment Case
$145,000
Settlement for an office manager whose Northridge employer would not allow her to take leave from work due to pregnancy
Employment Case
$140,000
Not Accommodated and Fired for Mental Disability Leave
Disclaimer: These results are based on the facts of these specific cases and do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case.
Practice Areas
Discrimination
Age, Disability, FMLA/CFRA, Gender, National Origin, Pregnancy, Race, and Sexual Orientation discrimination claims.
Unpaid Wages & Overtime
Recovering earnings for overtime, bonuses, commissions, meal & rest break violations, and prevailing wage claims.
Sexual Harassment
Compassionate and effective representation for sexual harassment and hostile work environment claims.
Wrongful Termination
Representing employees terminated in violation of public policy, contracts, or California and federal law.
Leaves & Retaliation
Protecting employees who face adverse actions after reporting illegal activity or taking protected medical leave.
Whistleblowers
Advocating for employees who report fraud, waste, or abuse under California and federal whistleblower protection laws.
Our California Locations
Bakersfield
5401 Business Park S, #214,
Bakersfield CA 93309
Sacramento
777 Campus Commons Rd, #200,
Sacramento CA 95825
San Francisco / Bay Area
524 Union St, #400,
San Francisco CA 94133
San Jose / Silicon Valley
111 N. Market St, #300,
San Jose CA 95113
Torrance / South Bay
3655 Torrance Blvd, 3rd Floor,
Torrance CA 90503
Additional Sites
About Firm Founder, Karl Gerber
Firm Founder, Karl Gerber, has been an employment and wrongful termination attorney since 1993. He has represented a wide range of employees throughout California.
Mr. Gerber has won 51 of the binding arbitrations and jury trials he first chaired, and a number of his appeals are published. This deep trial experience is the foundation of the firm's strategic approach to litigation.
The employment attorneys employed by the Employment Lawyers Group have worked at the firm well in excess of five years, have also tried many different labor cases, and have all been extensively trained on employment and wrongful termination law by Karl Gerber.
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