California recognizes the employer-employee relationship as "at-will," meaning that an employer can terminate your job with no-cause or just-cause, unless there is a contract. However, an employer cannot terminate, demote, refuse to hire an employee for an illegal reason. Instances where an employer has wrongfully terminated based on an unlawful reason are when it is based on race, religion, physical and mental disability, sex, gender, ancestry, color, national origin, medical condition, sexual orientation, marital status, age, and more.

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Also, an employer has retaliated against its employee when it takes an adverse action on the covered individual because of their engagement in a protected activity. Protected activities include, but are not limited to, opposing unlawful practices and/or discrimination, participating in discrimination proceedings, requesting accommodations, taking a leave of absence to attend to family and medical needs.