Calabasas Employment Attorneys
The trial attorneys of the Akopyan Law Firm A.P.C. stand ready to fight for the rights of the residents of Calabasas, regardless of whether they are employees or employers. If your cause is just and involves employment law, give us a call to see how we can help.
Calabasas, California
Calabasas is a city in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. Calabasas is home to more than 25,000 residents. It covers approximately eighteen square miles, and encompasses the following zip codes: 90290, 91301, 91302, and 91372. Settlements of Chumash Indians named the area Calabasas, a word perhaps descended from the Indian word for “where the wild geese fly.” Others think Calabasas comes from the Spanish word for pumpkin or wild gourd. Spanish expeditions in the 1700’s forever changed the Indians’ way of life. The Diary of Miguel Costanso, which documents the Portola expeditions in 1769-1770, refers to encounters with the Chumash in the area. Six years later, the Juan de Anza party camped just west of Calabasas. El Scorpion, or El Escorpion, a ranch that once occupied a large tract in the west Valley, was granted to three Indians in Calabasas in the 1830’s. About 25 years later, Miguel Leonis, the Basque “King of Calabasas” acquired the ranch and 1100 acres by his marriage to Espiritu, an Indian who had inherited the property from her father. Leonis was often in trouble with the law, hiring gunmen to expand his lands, bribing witnesses and threatening nearby settlers. He was killed in 1889 when he fell from his wagon after removing a band of squatters from his property. Squatter wars and gun fights were a bloody part of Calabasas history. “Inhabitants killed each other off so steadily that a human face is a rarity,” wrote Horace Bell in his book on the old west coast. When large ranches were divided into farms in the late 1800’s, families of settlers struggled against poverty and drought. When water and power came to Owensmouth (Canoga Park), they were happy to leave the difficult life of Calabasas pioneers. After the turn of the century, several select spots in the Calabasas area developed into weekend respites from the city. What is now the Sagebrush Cantina was originally a group of small stores built by Lester Agoure, Sr. in the early 1920’s. The parking lot once was the local jail. Outside was the famous hanging tree, dead, but still standing today. It is the identifying logo of the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce. Lack of water in the Calabasas area was always a major concern. With the founding of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District in 1958, a water supply was assured, and the area began its development boom. With offices in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Oxnard, Temecula, Rancho Cucamonga, Costa Mesa, Culver City, and San Diego, the Akopyan Law Firm A.P.C. is just minutes away from Calabasas. Our employment lawyers stand ready to provide world-class services and top-notch representation to the residents of Calabasas.
Finding the Best Employment Lawyer in Calabasas Has Never Been Easier
Calabasas, as a thriving community, offers a plethora of legal professionals for its residents to consider. Conducting an online search for “employment lawyer Calabasas” or “wrongful termination attorney Calabasas” often inundates users with paid advertisements from employment lawyers based in various locations. Navigating this sea of choices to select the right attorney with the essential skills and experience can indeed be challenging when relying primarily on paid internet advertisements. For individuals in search of legal representation, assessing an attorney’s proficiency in handling employment trials and litigation can be a formidable task when their primary reference point is an advertisement. However, at the Akopyan Law Firm, A.P.C., each attorney brings nearly two decades of invaluable experience to the table. Our legal team boasts a well-established track record of success, effectively advocating for both employees and employers. Our firm’s guiding principle revolves around prioritizing quality over quantity. Instead of saturating the market with advertising, our attorneys dedicate their time to the courtroom, vigorously fighting for our clients’ rights. We understand that actions speak louder than words and wholeheartedly invite you to seek references from satisfied clients upon request. Additionally, you can explore our online reviews to gain added confidence in our capabilities. With conveniently located offices just minutes away from Calabasas, we are poised and prepared to provide top-tier legal representation to the residents of Calabasas, ensuring that their legal needs are met with the utmost level of expertise and professionalism. Your pursuit of justice begins here.
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SB 497 and Wrongful Termination Litigation Against Medical Practices: Understanding California’s 90-Day Rebuttable Presumption in Retaliation Claims
For Southern California medical practices already facing a retaliation-based wrongful termination dispute, California's SB 497 (Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Act), effective January 1, 2024, may materially affect how timing is viewed in litigation. Under specified Labor Code provisions, an adverse employment action taken within 90 days of protected activity may trigger a rebuttable presumption in favor of the employee’s claim. In a wrongful termination case, that timing issue may increase scrutiny of causation, pretext, internal communications, and the employer’s stated reasons for the decision. What SB 497 Changed in California Retaliation Law SB 497 (Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Act), effective January 1, 2024, amended California Labor Code sections 98.6, 1102.5, and 1197.5. The statute added a 90-day rebuttable presumption to sections 98.6 and 1197.5 when the statutory conditions are met. While the text of SB 497 specifically inserted the 90-day presumption language into sections 98.6 and 1197.5, its practical application frequently encompasses whistleblower claims under section 1102.5 as well. Because section 98.6 prohibits retaliation for the exercise of 'any rights' afforded by the Labor Code—and section 1102.5 is a foundational Labor Code right—courts and the Labor Commissioner generally apply the rebuttable presumption to whistleblower reports. (See Cal. Lab. Code § 98.6(b)(1); Ogletree Deakins, 2024 Legal Update). For a medical practice, this means the 90-day window should be viewed as a high-risk period for nearly all retaliation-based theories. At a general level, a rebuttable presumption gives legal significance to timing under the statutes that contain it. When a complaint alleges protected activity followed by an adverse employment action within that 90-day period, the employer may face more concentrated scrutiny of whether the stated reason for the decision was genuine or instead may be characterized as pretext. In practical terms, the statute can make a short chronology more consequential in litigation than it would have been before. Why the 90-Day Presumption Can Affect a Wrongful Termination Case A retaliation claim and a wrongful termination claim often appear in the same complaint. A plaintiff may allege that protected activity occurred first, that termination followed, and that the sequence supports an inference of retaliatory motive. Once that theory is pleaded, the case often extends beyond the termination decision itself. The litigation may then turn on familiar employer-side issues: whether managers described the decision consistently, whether the personnel record aligns with later explanations, whether internal emails or text messages complicate the stated rationale, and whether similarly situated employees were treated differently. A 90-day rebuttable presumption does not decide the case by itself, but it may make causation and pretext more central from the outset. For a Southern California medical practice already confronting a filed claim, that can increase both complexity and exposure. Why Medical Practices May Face Heightened Exposure Small medical practices often operate through close supervision, lean staffing, and frequent day-to-day communication among owners, practice administrators, lead clinicians, and supervisors. That structure can produce overlapping records, informal communications, and multiple decision-makers tied to the same employment event. In litigation, those features may make... Read more
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