I was cheated out of a relatively small amount of wages, it was wrong but I don’t think it is enough to make a lawsuit worthwhile.

Our state government was concerned about this problem too, that an employer could take a small amount from the employee with the idea that it wouldn’t be worth the employee’s time to pursue it. As a result, California has some of the strongest employee protection laws in the country, tacking on various penalties to discourage wage theft by employers. Moreover, class and representative lawsuits make it feasible for attorneys to pursue even relatively small claims when many individuals have suffered from the same or similar harm.