Laid Off From Genentech? What California Law Gives You Before You Sign Anything

By Claire Melehani, Esq. | McLellan Law Group, LLP | mclellanlawgroup.com

Published July 2026 | California Employment Law

The Genentech layoffs announced this summer will permanently eliminate 103 positions at the company’s South San Francisco headquarters at 1 DNA Way, effective July 29, according to a WARN notice filed with the State of California. Professional scientific and technical services roles are affected. If you are one of those 103 people, this article explains what California and federal law give you before you sign anything.

First, something that deserves to be said directly. Losing a position you built over years, in research, in science, in work that genuinely mattered, is hard in a way that does not resolve quickly. The instinct to close this chapter and move forward is completely reasonable. It is also the instinct that severance agreements are designed to meet, and to move faster than your own clarity.

How Severance Agreements Work (and Who They Work For)

The agreement sitting in front of you was drafted by your employer’s legal team with a specific purpose: to resolve your claims efficiently before you fully understand what they are worth. That is not cynicism. That is how these documents work. You deserve to understand that before you sign one.

Almost every severance agreement contains a broad release of legal claims, including claims you may not yet know you have. The deadline your employer placed on that agreement is not always the deadline the law gives you. The urgency in that packet benefits your employer. Federal law built time into this process for exactly this reason.

Start With Your WARN Notice

California’s WARN Act requires covered employers to provide at least 60 days’ written notice before a mass layoff takes effect. That is the law, regardless of what a severance offer includes or what timeline your employer has placed on signing.

Look at the date on the notice you received. Count forward to your effective date. If that window is shorter than 60 days, that is a question worth raising with an attorney, because a WARN Act violation entitles affected employees to up to 60 days of back pay and benefits, and that claim exists independently of whatever severance is being offered. Whether a shorter window actually violates the law depends on the specific facts, including when you personally received notice and whether any statutory exception applies. Those are questions an attorney can answer after reviewing your documents.

Additionally, as of January 1, 2026, California’s SB 617 expanded what a valid WARN notice must contain: whether the employer will coordinate reemployment services through the local workforce development board, CalFresh food assistance information, and functioning contact details for both. Check whether your notice includes those elements. A notice that is missing required content is a compliance question in its own right.

If You Are 40 or Older, the Law Gives You More Time

This is a group reduction in force. Under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA), employees who are 40 or older in a group layoff must receive at least 45 days to review a severance agreement, not 21 days, which applies only to individual terminations.

Your employer must also provide a written list showing the ages and job titles of every employee selected and not selected in your group. That list exists so you can evaluate whether age factored into who was chosen. If it did, the release in your severance agreement covers a claim with real value.

You also have an absolute 7-day right to revoke your signature after you sign. That right cannot be contractually waived.

What to Do Right Now

1. Do not sign yet. You almost certainly have more time than the packet suggests. Use it.
2. Preserve everything. Your WARN notice, your termination letter, your severance offer, and your most recent pay stubs, including any equity or bonus documentation. Access to company systems disappears when employment ends.
3. Review your full compensation picture. Accrued vacation, outstanding equity, and any bonuses tied to deals or milestones. Understand what you are releasing before you release it.
4. Check your WARN notice dates and contents. Count the days to your effective date, and check for the SB 617 disclosures described above.
5. If you are 40 or older, count your review days. You are entitled to 45 days in a group layoff, plus 7 days to revoke after signing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to sign my severance agreement by the deadline in the packet?

Not necessarily. If you are 40 or older in a group layoff, federal law entitles you to at least 45 days to review the agreement, and your employer cannot shorten that period. Even outside the OWBPA, deadlines in severance packets are often negotiable. Pressure to sign quickly benefits your employer, not you.

How do I know if my WARN notice was proper?

Check two things. First, the timing: count the days from the date on your notice to your effective date. California’s WARN Act requires at least 60 days for a covered mass layoff. Second, the contents: since January 1, 2026, SB 617 requires the notice to include reemployment services information, CalFresh food assistance information, and functioning contact details. Whether a particular notice complied depends on your specific facts, including when you personally received it and whether any exception applies, so bring your documents to an attorney for review.

What am I owed if my employer violated the California WARN Act?

Up to 60 days of back pay and benefits for each affected employee. That claim exists independently of whatever severance is being offered, which is one more reason not to release your claims before understanding them.

What is the age and job title list my employer has to give me?

In a group layoff, the OWBPA requires your employer to provide a written list of the ages and job titles of every employee selected and not selected for the reduction in your group. The list exists so you can evaluate whether age factored into the selection. If the pattern suggests it did, the release in your severance agreement covers an age discrimination claim with real value, and the agreement may be unenforceable as a waiver of that claim if the OWBPA’s requirements were not met.

What if I already signed my severance agreement?

You may still have options. If you signed within the last 7 days, you have an absolute right to revoke your signature, and that right cannot be waived by contract. If you are 40 or older and the agreement did not comply with the OWBPA’s requirements, the waiver of age discrimination claims may be unenforceable regardless of your signature. An attorney can review what you signed and tell you where you stand.

How McLellan Law Group, LLP Can Help

McLellan Law Group, LLP represents California employees in severance negotiations, layoffs, WARN Act claims, discrimination matters, and wage and hour disputes throughout Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County, the Bay Area, and all of California. What we see consistently is this: employees who understand their rights early retain more leverage than those who sign quickly and move on. We offer one complimentary initial consultation at (650) 383-1266, not to pressure you, but to give you a clear picture of where you stand before you make any decision.

Reviewing a severance agreement from Genentech or any other California employer? Contact McLellan Law Group, LLP at mclellanlawgroup.com.

Attorney advertisement by McLellan Law Group, LLP. This is general information only and not legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Responsible attorney: Claire Melehani, Esq. 20655 4th Street, Ste. 202, Saratoga, CA 95070.