Frequently Asked Questions

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) provides broader protections than federal laws, covering smaller employers and offering stronger remedies for victims. FEHA applies to employers with five or more employees, while federal Title VII requires fifteen. At The Law Offices of Charles P. Boylston, we leverage FEHA's expansive protections to strengthen discrimination claims throughout Temecula.

Misclassifying employees as independent contractors or exempt workers often results in unpaid overtime, missed meal breaks, and lost benefits. California requires strict adherence to classification tests, and violations can lead to significant back pay awards. We analyze paystubs and work records to identify misclassification common in Temecula's retail and warehouse sectors.

Employers must investigate immediately upon receiving any harassment complaint, even informal reports or secondhand information. Delays can increase liability and allow hostile conditions to worsen. At The Law Offices of Charles P. Boylston, we guide Temecula businesses through witness interviews, documentation review, and compliant response protocols to minimize legal risk.

California Labor Code sections 1102.5 and 1102.6 prohibit retaliation against employees who report illegal activity, safety violations, or fraud to authorities or internally. Protected employees can recover lost wages, reinstatement, and damages. We help Temecula whistleblowers document reports and defend against retaliatory actions like termination or demotion.

Under FEHA, you must file a complaint with California's Civil Rights Department within three years of the discriminatory act. This extended timeline replaced the previous one-year deadline in 2020. At The Law Offices of Charles P. Boylston, we help Temecula employees preserve evidence and meet all procedural deadlines to protect their rights.

A hostile environment exists when unwelcome conduct based on protected characteristics is severe or pervasive enough to alter employment conditions. Isolated incidents rarely qualify unless extremely serious. We evaluate patterns of behavior, witness accounts, and employer response to build strong harassment cases for Temecula workers in hospitality and medical office settings.

California law mandates a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break for shifts over five hours, and employers cannot pressure employees to skip it. Violations trigger penalty pay of one additional hour at the regular rate per missed break. We recover unpaid meal break penalties for Temecula restaurant and retail workers through paystub analysis and hour reconstruction.

Employers often deny leave to eligible workers or retaliate after protected leave requests, violating California Family Rights Act protections. Misunderstanding eligibility requirements or failing to provide proper notice also creates liability. At The Law Offices of Charles P. Boylston, we counsel Temecula employers on CFRA compliance and defend employees facing wrongful denial or retaliation.

You must show you engaged in protected activity, your employer took adverse action, and a causal connection exists between the two. Timing, witness statements, and documented policy changes strengthen retaliation claims. We guide Temecula employees through evidence gathering and establish clear timelines linking reports to termination, demotion, or schedule changes.

California wrongful termination victims may recover lost wages, benefits, emotional distress damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees. Recovery depends on violation type and harm severity. At The Law Offices of Charles P. Boylston, we build comprehensive damage claims for Temecula employees, documenting economic losses and emotional impact throughout settlement or litigation.

Appellate courts review trial decisions for legal errors, not factual disputes, making success rates lower than trial outcomes. Strong appeals require identifying clear procedural mistakes or misapplied law. We prepare detailed briefs and argument strategies for Temecula clients seeking second-level review, providing honest assessments of appellate prospects and timelines.

Temecula's rapid business growth along corridors like Winchester Road attracts new employers unfamiliar with California's complex wage laws. Industries such as restaurants, logistics, and retail often struggle with overtime rules and break requirements. We represent workers and advise employers throughout the Temecula Valley to ensure compliance and resolve disputes efficiently.