Steve Kaplan handles a wide variety of wrongful termination cases, with an emphasis on discrimination claims based on race, sex, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation and religion.

He also represents employees who have been wrongfully terminated or retaliated against for whistleblowing and engaging in other forms of legally protected conduct, such as complaining about harassment, refusing to engage in unlawful activities on behalf of their employers or refusing to sign unlawful no-compete agreements.

Steve’s practice also covers the representation of executives who have been terminated in breach of their written, oral or implied employment agreements.

While Steve’s practice emphasizes the representation of employees in wrongful termination cases, he also represents employers, based on his belief that employers often benefit by having legal counsel who has had experience on “the other side,” and his ability to evaluate the relative strength of different employment claims.

Key Cases

• Steve represented the employee in the landmark California Supreme Court case that established the general principles of employment law in California, including the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, wrongful termination in violation of public policy, and the right of employees to sue for breach of an implied employment contract. (Foley v. Interactive Data Corporation)
• Successful trial of wrongful termination lawsuit against large governmental entity on behalf of executive employee who had complained about financial improprieties and sexual harassment.
• $2.2 million settlement for employee fired for complaining about sexual harassment.
• $1.4 million settlement for employee fired on account of race.
• $1 million settlement for violation of family leave and disability laws in the hospitality industry.
• $1 million settlement of contract claim for employee in higher education.
• $800,000 settlement for employee fired for complaining about financial improprieties.
• Successful settlement of religious discrimination claim asserted by Jewish applicant denied employment because workplace was in Saudi Arabia.
• Successful defense of six unionized employees sued by their former supervisor for seeking her termination.
• Successful defense of employer sued in series of coordinated lawsuits by former emlpoyees and others suing for combination of non-meritorious wrongful termination and breach of contract claims.