Labor Law $4,500,000
Representative PAGA action involving alleged California Labor Code violations, including wage and hour related claims.
Glendale Unpaid Wage Lawyer
You Earned It. California Law Requires Them to Pay It.
Schedule Your Free ConsultationRECOGNIZED AND TRUSTED BY CALIFORNIA CLIENTS
Common Unpaid Wage Violations We Handle
California employers violate wage laws across every industry, including warehousing, retail, healthcare, hospitality, construction, and corporate offices alike. HBK Lawyers provides experienced, aggressive representation to Glendale and Los Angeles County employees in all of the following cases:
Unpaid Overtime
California requires 1.5x your regular hourly pay rate for hours beyond 8 per day or 40 per week, and 2x your regular rate for hours beyond 12 in a single day. Employers routinely ignore these thresholds, miscalculate the rate, or pressure employees to work past their scheduled hours without clocking in.
Minimum Wage Violations
California’s minimum wage applies to all employees. No tip credits are permitted. Deductions that reduce take-home pay below the minimum wage are illegal regardless of how the employer characterizes them.
Meal and Rest Break Violations
Workers are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid meal break for shifts over five hours and a paid 10-minute rest break for every four hours worked. When employers deny these breaks or pressure employees to work through them, each violation triggers a one-hour premium pay obligation under CA Labor Code §226.7.
Off-the-Clock Work
Answering messages before clocking in, attending pre-shift meetings, cleaning up after the register closes, or completing required tasks after punching out are all compensable work time under California law.
Misclassification
Labeling employees as independent contractors or exempt salaried workers to avoid overtime obligations is one of the most common (and most costly) wage violations in California. The actual duties performed, not the job title or contract language, determine classification.
PAGA Claims
The Private Attorneys General Act allows workers to sue on behalf of themselves and co-workers for labor code violations, recovering civil penalties of $100 to $200 per employee per pay period. When violations are widespread, PAGA penalties compound quickly.
Wage Theft
Altered time records, unauthorized paycheck deductions, withheld final pay, and failure to reimburse business expenses are all forms of wage theft under California law.
Regular Rate of Pay Errors
Overtime must be calculated on the true regular rate, which includes non-discretionary bonuses, commissions, and shift differentials, not just base pay. Employers who exclude these components consistently underpay overtime.
California Sets Strict Deadlines for Wage Claims
Most unpaid wage claims must be filed within three years. The longer you wait, the more compensation you risk losing. Call HBK Lawyers today for a free, confidential review — Se habla español.
Your Rights Under California Law
California law protects all workers regardless of immigration status. An employer cannot legally retaliate against you or report you to immigration authorities for asserting your wage rights.
| Right | Law | What It Means |
| Overtime Pay | CA Labor Code §510 | 1.5x for hours over 8/day or 40/week; 2x for hours over 12/day |
| Minimum Wage | CA Labor Code §1182.12 | State minimum applies; no tip credits permitted |
| Meal Breaks | CA Labor Code §512 | 30-minute unpaid break for shifts over 5 hours; second break for shifts over 10 hours |
| Rest Breaks | CA Labor Code §226.7 | Paid 10-minute break per 4 hours worked; missed breaks trigger premium pay |
| Accurate Pay Stubs | CA Labor Code §226 | Itemized wage statements required with each payment |
| Final Pay | CA Labor Code §§201–203 | Due immediately on termination; within 72 hours of resignation |
| Expense Reimbursement | CA Labor Code §2802 | All necessary business expenses must be repaid |
| All Workers Protected | CA Labor Code §1171.5 | Rights apply regardless of immigration status; retaliation prohibited |
The protection exists specifically to prevent employers from using fear as a tool to suppress valid claims. The decision to pursue a claim is yours, so our job is to give you accurate information so you can make the right decision for yourself.
When to Contact an Unpaid Wages Attorney
Reach out if you have experienced any of the following:
- Overtime pay withheld despite working more than 8 hours in a day
- Meal or rest breaks denied without premium pay
- Required to work before clocking in or after clocking out
- Time records that don’t match hours actually worked
- Classified as an independent contractor while functioning as a regular employee
- Final paycheck delayed or shorted after leaving a job
- Overtime calculated only on base pay, excluding bonuses or commissions
- Business expenses incurred on the job that were never reimbursed
Filing deadline: California law gives most workers three years to file unpaid wage claims. Some violations allow four years. PAGA claims carry a one-year deadline from the date of each violation. Waiting means losing compensation you’re owed, so contact us as soon as possible.
What Your Claim Can Recover
Individual claims settle in the range of a few thousand dollars to well above $50,000, depending on how long the violations continued and your wage rate. Cases involving PAGA penalties or multiple affected workers recover significantly more.
- Unpaid wages: All wages owed for actual hours worked, including overtime and double-time at the correct rates.
- Waiting time penalties: Up to 30 days of your daily wage rate when an employer delays your final paycheck past legal deadlines (CA Labor Code §203).
- Meal and rest break premiums: One hour of pay at your regular rate for each day a required break was denied.
- Liquidated damages: Additional compensation equal to unpaid minimum wages in qualifying cases, effectively doubling the recovery.
- PAGA civil penalties: $100 per employee per pay period for initial violations; $200 for subsequent violations. For ongoing, widespread violations, these amounts accumulate significantly.
- Pay stub penalties: $50 per violation for the first pay stub error; $100 per violation thereafter, up to $4,000 per worker.
- Interest: Statutory interest on all unpaid wages from the date each amount was due.
- Attorney fees and costs: California law requires the employer to pay your legal fees when you prevail. You absorb no litigation costs.
Why HBK Lawyers for Your Unpaid Wage Case
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We Calculate What Most Attorneys Miss
Unpaid wage claims involve more than withheld paychecks. We identify every recoverable category, such as overtime miscalculations, break premiums, PAGA penalties, waiting time penalties, and pay stub fines, and build your claim around the full amount owed, not just the obvious one.
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We Know What Payroll Records Actually Show
Employers frequently resist producing time and payroll data. We know which records to demand, how to get them, and what patterns to look for. Altered time entries, rounding schemes, and misclassification signatures in payroll data are rarely visible to the untrained eye — we find them.
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You Get a Dedicated Attorney, Not a Paralegal Queue
Every HBK client works directly with an attorney who knows their case. You will not be handed off between junior staff or left waiting days for a call back. When questions arise — and they will — you reach someone who can answer them.
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Employers Who Know Us Settle Differently
Insurance companies and corporate counsel respond differently to firms with a genuine litigation track record. HBK prepares every unpaid wage case for trial from intake. That posture changes settlement offers — not marginally, but substantially.
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$100 Million Recovered Across Los Angeles County
That number reflects results across hundreds of employment cases. Wage and hour matters make up the largest share of that work. It is the clearest measure we have of what focused, trial-ready employment representation produces.
Case Results
Labor Law $7,000,000
Wage and hour class and PAGA action involving alleged Labor Code violations affecting groups of California employees.
Labor Law $5,500,000
Wage and hour class and PAGA action involving alleged Labor Code violations affecting groups of California employees.
Labor Law $5,250,000
Employment-related dispute involving alleged workplace, compensation, or statutory violations.
Labor Law $4,500,000
Representative PAGA action involving alleged California Labor Code violations, including wage and hour related claims.
Labor Law $7,000,000
Wage and hour class and PAGA action involving alleged Labor Code violations affecting groups of California employees.
Labor Law $5,500,000
Wage and hour class and PAGA action involving alleged Labor Code violations affecting groups of California employees.
Labor Law $5,250,000
Employment-related dispute involving alleged workplace, compensation, or statutory violations.
What Our Clients Say
Proudly Serving Glendale and Los Angeles County
Our unpaid wage attorneys represent employees throughout Los Angeles County, including Glendale, Encino, Burbank, Pasadena, and surrounding communities, as well as in Riverside County and San Diego County.
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Glendale Office
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Encino Office
16000 Ventura Blvd.
Suite 780
Encino, CA 91436
We've Helped Thousands of Workers. You Could Be Next.
With 50+ years of combined experience in California employment law, we know how to hold employers accountable when they violate worker protections. Let’s talk about what happened and explore your legal options.
Frequently Asked Questions About Unpaid Wage Claims
Unpaid overtime is the most frequently litigated wage violation in California. Employers misclassify employees as exempt, require off-the-clock work, manipulate time records, or simply refuse to pay at the correct rate. Meal and rest break violations rank second, as many employers pressure workers to skip required breaks and pay no premiums, not realizing each missed break is a separate, recoverable violation.
Settlement amounts range widely. A single worker’s claim may settle from $5,000 to $50,000 or more, depending on how long the violations continued and the wage rate involved. Cases involving multiple workers or substantial PAGA penalties often settle for higher amounts, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands. We calculate the value of your specific case during your free consultation.
Most claims carry a three-year deadline. Business and Professions Code § 17200 claims allow for a 4-year period. PAGA claims must be filed within one year of each violation. The clock starts when each violation occurs, not when you discover it. Older violations may already be time-barred. Call promptly to preserve your full recovery period.
Yes. California Labor Code §1171.5 explicitly protects all workers, regardless of immigration status. An employer cannot lawfully retaliate against you or report you to immigration authorities for asserting wage rights. This protection exists because California recognized that employers would otherwise exploit immigration status to suppress valid claims. We understand that the decision to pursue a claim is personal and there are certain risks in the current climate, but we explain your protections clearly so you can decide what is right for your situation.