Wrongful termination?? Bar Cecil/Beatons Palm Springs CA
wrongful termination attorney California Aug 3, 2026
Location: Palm Springs California I worked at Bar Cecil and Beatons in Palm Springs California and was let go a few days after my birthday at the tail end of season for restaurants and tourism in the desert in general. The part that gets me is they all signed my birthday card saying they were so happy to have me etc. I was always early, never late, never called out and didnt even request off a single day not even my birthday. If they asked me to clock in early I did. If they asked me to work through my lunch or skip it I did. Sometimes after clocking out they would ask me to continue helping for like 15 to 30+ minutes off the clock because they would get a rush and i never complained. I never had a write up or coaching or anything. They literally blind sided me. I wasnt even aware there was an issue. They claimed multiple people said they didnt want to work with me (which was first of me hearing because every other day someone said something positive about my personality or work ethics) and didnt follow company policy. I asked who didnt want to work with me and they wouldnt give me a single example or anything. I asked what policy I didnt follow and they also refused to tell me or give an example. What happened immediately prior was a new uniform policy. Prior there was no policy and you wore whatever you wanted that was still professional looking or upscale. I spent a few hundred dollars on clothes and a few months later they implemented a new uniform policy through text message and that was the ONLY policy for the uniform. Khaki pants and specific style and color of shoes that were required for me to pay for and blue lacoste polo. I bought multiple pairs of khakis because I work full time and shoes for work. Total spent was like $500. The first week or so of wearing it, everyone made fun of me for the new uniform and talked about how ugly it was. The owners and managers then told me that they didnt like the khakis and changed their mind and wanted black or gray pants instead. I asked for reimbursement for the khakis which seemed fair since tags were clipped they were worn and washed and werent eligible to be returned. They denied reimbursement. Every shift for the next week they hounded me about changing the color of the pants. And then right after my birthday just called me into office immediately after I clocking in. Im walking up the hall hearing the manager and one of the owners laughing hysterically and the moment I turn the corner they get silent and mean mugged me and immediately just say we are letting you go. They literally wouldnt give me a reason why besides saying that people didnt want to work with me and not following company policy. I did follow the policy by getting the clothes they told me to get. They fire people from left to right all the time but I honestly never thought it would happen to me because how much commitment I made to the place. In hindsight I admit I shouldve seen that as a red flag... also shouldve seen the red flag of the owners constantly gossiping about everyone who worked there even me. But because they talked about everyone so openly I honestly just took it as a grain of salt. They would sit right behind the host stand talking about you which was pretty uncomfortable. They would watch the cameras and text you about whatever they wanted to micromanage about and would listen to your conversations and gossip about it. One time I was walking a guest to the table. I tried engaging but they just weren't social types. The owner stops me and tells me I need to talk to them while im walking. I told him they didnt want to talk to me and so I didnt pry. He goes in to tell me "I know its challenging for you to talk to people because you struggle to speak, but you need to try harder" as if insinuating I was incompetent.. but again took it as a grain of salt because they would always talk about how much they loved having me. Kind of felt like they were gas lighting me. The GM forewarned me when I was first hired and training that one of the owners will fire someone for any reason even if not legal. I really regretted not taking that more seriously, but I felt like she was just being dramatic.. Am I wrong for wanting to be reimbursed when I just spent my money on the uniform and they wanted me to spend more money? This literally destroyed my confidence, it made me feel so betrayed and taken advantage of and made me extremely depressed. Especially with how no one in Palm Springs is hiring because its out of season. Is this wrongful termination? Should I be talking to a lawyer?
