You’ve Earned Your Sick Leave. Use It Without Fear.
California’s Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act guarantees you the right to accrue and use paid sick leave. If your employer is blocking you from taking the time you’ve earned, penalizing you for using it, or flat-out refusing to pay you, we are here to hold them accountable. A sick leave attorney in California can review whether your employer improperly denied accrued leave, failed to pay sick time, or punished you for using protected leave. The Ghol Firm helps California workers evaluate paid sick leave violations and related retaliation.
Employers often treat paid sick leave as a burden they’d rather not pay. They implement illegal "attendance point" systems that punish you for calling out sick, or they create confusing, impossible-to-follow rules to discourage you from using the hours you’ve accrued. In California, you have the legal right to use your sick leave for yourself or to care for a family member. If your employer is making you pay for being sick, it’s time to level the playing field. Paid sick leave violations may involve denying accrued time, using attendance points against protected absences, refusing qualifying family-care leave, or failing to properly track available sick leave.
If your company uses an "occurrence" or "point" system that disciplines you for taking your legally protected sick leave.
Employers who refuse to let you use your accrued leave, claiming you need "pre-approval" or "proof" in ways not required by law.
If you have accrued leave but are forced to take the time off unpaid, or if your pay stub doesn't accurately reflect your accrued balance.
Being demoted, given worse shifts, or terminated because you used your legal right to take a sick day.
California law allows you to use your sick leave to care for family members. Denying this usage is a direct violation.
Employers who fail to track or provide the minimum amount of sick leave mandated by California’s Paid Sick Leave law.
We look at the California Labor Code and your specific accrual records to prove that your rights were ignored. We don't just want the few hours of pay they stole—we want the statutory penalties that accompany these violations.
“When you’re sick, your only focus should be recovery. We ensure your employer doesn't turn your health struggle into a financial or professional one.” — Avi Gholian, Founding Attorney
We work on a contingency basis. You pay nothing unless we recover your unpaid sick pay and penalties.
We know the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act inside and out, and we know exactly how to prove a violation.
We use legal discovery to force employers to produce their attendance and accrual records, uncovering systemic wage theft.
You do not need to figure this out alone. We keep the process clear, explain what matters, and help you understand what comes next.
No high-pressure sales. Just an honest talk about your situation and how we can help.
We evaluate your sick leave accrual, your company’s attendance policy, and how you were punished for taking time off.
We gather your pay stubs, time logs, attendance point records, and any communications regarding your sick leave denials.
We quantify the value of the unpaid time and the penalties your employer owes for violating California’s sick leave laws.
We represent your interests, aggressively pursuing your employer to force compliance and payment for your stolen time.
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You earned your sick leave. Don't let them take it from you. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation. We fight on a contingency basis—you pay nothing unless we win.
California law generally requires covered employees to receive at least 40 hours or five days of paid sick leave each year, although some local laws or employer policies may provide more.
