FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (August 4, 2026)— Legal Aid at Work has reached a settlement on behalf of Lauren Gaw, a registered nurse who alleged in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in June 2025, that her employer unlawfully terminated her after she brought personal water bottles to work displaying stickers expressing support for Palestine.
“As a nurse, I want to care for people regardless of who they are. But I also want to show that I care for people, which is what the stickers were for – to show solidarity,” said Gaw. “I’m glad a settlement has been reached. No one should have to choose between their conscience and their livelihood.”
The lawsuit asserted claims under California Labor Code sections 1101 and 1102, which prohibit employers from controlling or directing employees’ political activities and from coercing or influencing employees through threats of discharge or other adverse employment actions because of their political beliefs or activities.
“This settlement is a win not just for Lauren, but for all California workers. It clearly signals that employers cannot suppress political viewpoints they may disagree with — and that those who try to do so will be held accountable,” said Christopher Ho, director of the National Origin and Immigrants’ Rights Program at Legal Aid at Work.
The successful resolution of Gaw’s federal court action, the terms of which are confidential, highlights the protections enshrined in Sections 1101 and 1102 of the California Labor Code. These provisions safeguard California workers from employer efforts to control, coerce, or silence their political beliefs and activities, ensuring that employees can engage in political expression without fear of workplace retaliation.
These protections are particularly important amid a broader national trend in which workers, students, and others increasingly face retaliation, surveillance, doxxing, harassment, or other adverse consequences for expressing dissenting political views. Ms. Gaw’s lawsuit underscores the critical importance of enforcing California’s robust protections for political expression, especially during periods of heightened political polarization and repression.
Legal Aid at Work remains committed to protecting workers’ rights to engage in lawful political expression without fear of discrimination or retaliation in the workplace.
To learn more about the case, please see the following links:
- 2024 Press release: Advocates Demand Evenhanded Treatment of Political Speech After Nurse Fired Over Pro-Palestinian Water Bottle Stickers
- 2025 Press Release: Nurse Fired Over Pro-Palestinian Stickers Files Federal Lawsuit Demanding Equal Treatment of Political Expression in the Workplace
- Fact sheet: Your Right as an Employee to Engage in Political Activity.
- Previous press coverage: Courthouse News Service, San Diego Union Tribune
Media Contacts:
Christopher Ho
Director, National Origin and Immigrants’ Rights Program
Legal Aid at Work
(415) 593-0055
cho@legalaidatwork.org
Emily Hirsch
Vice President of Development and Communications
Legal Aid at Work
(415) 593-0069
ehirsch@legalaidatwork.org
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Legal Aid at Work partners with people to help them understand and assert their workplace rights. We also advocate for employment laws and systems that empower low-paid workers and marginalized communities.