“Very thankful for everything they did for us. Always responsive, reassured us every step of the way and obtained a great result.”
Miguel Orellana
Torrance Workers' Compensation Retaliation Attorney
Certified Specialist (CA Bar)No Fee Unless We Win — Costs May ApplyMillions RecoveredSe Habla Español
- Years of Practice
- 14+
- Cases Handled
- 500+ over 14+ years of practice
- Recovered
- $7M+ over 14+ years of practice
- Bilingual + Farsi
- English + Español + Farsi
By Eman Yazdchi, Esq. · Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization · Cal Bar #285231
What does §132a do for a Torrance worker who was fired for filing a workers' comp claim?
A Petition for Discrimination is filed at the Long Beach WCAB within one year of the firing, demotion, or other adverse employment action, not the injury date.
A Torrance worker fired after filing a workers' compensation claim has one year to file a Petition for Discrimination, delivering reinstatement, lost wages, and up to a ten-thousand-dollar increase on the underlying award. Toyota-adjacent supplier, Honda R&D, and Torrance Memorial Medical Center files run through the Long Beach WCAB. Certified Specialist Eman Yazdchi (California Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California) handles each.
Under California Labor Code §132a, it is unlawful for any California employer to discharge, threaten to discharge, or in any manner discriminate against an employee because the employee filed or intends to file a workers' comp claim. California also protects against a second form of retaliation under Labor Code §3550 — the employer's duty to post the required notice of workers' comp rights — which becomes a retaliation lever when suppressed. The one-year statute of limitations runs from the discriminatory act. The §132a Petition is heard at the Los Angeles district WCAB on a track separate from the underlying injury case.
The §132a remedy on a successful Petition: reinstatement; reimbursement of lost wages and work benefits; and an increase of up to $10,000 in the existing workers' compensation award. The WCAB also awards attorney fees. The §132a claim is tried at the WCAB, not Superior Court. Temporal proximity — discharge or adverse action within days or weeks of the DWC-1 timestamp — is the evidentiary core.
## How a Torrance workers' compensation retaliation claim works
A Torrance workers' compensation retaliation claim is brought under two distinct Labor Code provisions — §132a and §3550 — and a Certified Specialist (California Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California) in Workers' Compensation Law analyzes both on day one.
**Labor Code §132a — anti-retaliation for filing a claim.** Section 132a makes it unlawful for any California employer to discharge, threaten to discharge, or in any manner discriminate against an employee because the employee has filed (or stated an intention to file) a workers' compensation claim, has received a rating, award, or settlement, or has testified in a workers' compensation proceeding. A §132a petition is filed at the WCAB Los Angeles office and the remedies are statutory: a 50% increase in workers' compensation benefits up to $10,000, reinstatement, and reimbursement of lost wages and work benefits caused by the discrimination. The Lauher v. WCAB and Department of Rehabilitation v. WCAB line of cases governs the substantive framework — the worker has to show adverse action causally connected to a workers' comp activity, after which the burden shifts to the employer to show a business necessity.
**Labor Code §3550 — notice posting.** Section 3550 requires every California employer to post and keep posted in a conspicuous place at every place of employment a notice setting out the workers' compensation rights of injured workers — and to provide written notice to each employee. A §3550 violation is a misdemeanor under §3700.5 and is independently actionable. In Torrance, a §3550 violation is frequently paired with a §132a petition because a non-posting employer is often the same employer that retaliates.
**The one-year statute under §132a.** A §132a petition has to be filed within one year from the discriminatory act — not from the date of injury. In Torrance cases the discriminatory act is most often a post-RTW termination, a demotion after a claim filing, or a refusal to provide modified duty consistent with the treating physician's work restrictions.
**Why the §132a/§3550 pairing matters.** A §132a petition is litigated inside the WCAB and produces statutory remedies. A parallel FEHA disability-discrimination claim, when the facts support it, is litigated in superior court and produces tort remedies. A Certified Specialist (California Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California) evaluates both tracks at intake.
**Local context.** California DWC 2024 program data documents continued §132a petition volume statewide, and WCIRB 2024 data shows persistent post-injury employment-separation patterns across litigated claims — meaning §132a/§3550 retaliation pressure in Torrance is real and the one-year clock is real. We protect Torrance clients at WCAB Los Angeles.
Related on yazdchilaw.com: California §132a workers' comp retaliation pillar · Redondo Beach workers' comp retaliation · Lomita workers' comp retaliation · Torrance workers' comp lawyer · California Labor Code §132a (workers' comp retaliation).
Injured at work? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →## Torrance workforce, employers, and local WCAB practice
Most Torrance workers' compensation matters are venued at the WCAB Los Angeles district office, and our case calendar reflects that. Torrance is aerospace and auto-manufacturing hub, inside South Bay, and the local workforce mix shapes what kinds of retaliation claims we actually see.
Torrance is one of California's largest aerospace and auto-manufacturing employer concentrations and houses the U.S. headquarters of major Japanese automakers and a refinery. Workers' compensation issues out of Torrance are heavy on industrial cumulative-trauma, hearing loss, and chemical-exposure claims — exactly the cases where §4663 apportionment and §4610 UR denials are most aggressive.
When we take a Torrance workers' comp case, we open the file at WCAB Los Angeles, calendar the relevant statutes, run the §4663 apportionment analysis early, and tell the client — in plain English — what the realistic outcome looks like. Call (661) 273-1780.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Labor Code §132a, and how does it apply in Torrance?
Labor Code §132a makes it unlawful for any California employer to discharge, threaten to discharge, or in any manner discriminate against an employee because the employee has filed (or stated an intention to file) a workers' compensation claim, has received a rating, award, or settlement, or has testified in a workers' compensation proceeding. A §132a petition is filed at WCAB Los Angeles with a one-year statute from the discriminatory act, and the remedies are statutory — a 50% increase in workers' compensation benefits up to $10,000, reinstatement, and reimbursement of lost wages and work benefits.
How long do I have to file a §132a petition in a Torrance case?
A §132a petition has to be filed within one year from the discriminatory act — not from the date of injury. In Torrance cases the discriminatory act is most often a post-RTW termination, a demotion after a claim filing, or a refusal to provide modified duty consistent with the treating physician's work restrictions. The one-year statute is strictly enforced — there is no equitable-tolling savings clause in the statute.
What is Labor Code §3550?
Labor Code §3550 requires every California employer to post and keep posted in a conspicuous place at every place of employment a notice setting out the workers' compensation rights of injured workers, and to provide written notice to each employee. A §3550 violation is a misdemeanor under §3700.5 and is independently actionable. In Torrance, a §3550 violation is frequently paired with a §132a petition because a non-posting employer is often the same employer that retaliates against an injured worker.
Can I sue my Torrance employer in superior court for workers' comp retaliation?
A §132a petition stays inside the WCAB. A parallel FEHA disability-discrimination claim, when the facts support it, is filed in superior court and carries tort remedies — emotional distress, punitive damages where the statute allows, and attorney fees. The two tracks address different things, and a Certified Specialist evaluates both at intake so a Torrance client is not boxed into the WCAB remedy when superior-court remedies are available.
What does §132a actually pay if I win in Torrance?
Section 132a's statutory remedy is a 50% increase in the worker's compensation benefits up to $10,000, plus reinstatement to the employee's former position, plus reimbursement of lost wages and work benefits caused by the discrimination. The statutory cap on the 50%-increase remedy is what makes the parallel FEHA track important — FEHA carries no such cap. A Certified Specialist runs both numbers when evaluating a Torrance retaliation case.
How do I prove §132a retaliation in a Torrance case?
The framework runs through Lauher v. WCAB and Department of Rehabilitation v. WCAB. The worker has to show (1) an industrial injury, (2) adverse employment action, and (3) a causal connection between the workers' comp activity and the adverse action. Once that prima facie case is made, the burden shifts to the employer to show a legitimate, non-discriminatory business necessity. Direct evidence (post-claim discharge, post-modified-duty-request demotion) is rare; circumstantial evidence carries most Torrance §132a cases.
Last reviewed by Eman Yazdchi, Esq., June 2026.
Get your case evaluated in 60 seconds.
Get Your Free Case EvaluationTalk to a Certified Specialist
Three fields. No obligation.
What Our Clients Say
Read more testimonials →“Very thankful for everything they did for us. Always responsive, reassured us every step of the way and obtained a great result.”