I was fired for attending to a family emergency during probation. Can I recieve unemployment benefits?

The answer to your question will depend on many facts not included in your post. Essentially you are disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits if you are terminated for engaging in misconduct. Misconduct suggests some kind of intentional violation of company policy or practice, or a form of insubordination. Not coming to work when not excused can be a form of misconduct unless the absence was something caused by something outside of your control or the missing of work was otherwise legally privileged. There are laws that give an employee the right to attend to the serious medical condition of a close family member, but whether these laws apply to you can only be determined by an analysis of many facts, including the size of your employer, the length of time you were with the employer and how many hours you word, the closeness of the family member who needed attention, and many other items. If you were terminated for engaging in protected conduct, you might have a meritorious legal claim against your former employer and you might have a legitimate basis for avoiding the misconduct disqualification under the unemployment insurance act. At this point the prudent move would be to locate and consult with an experienced employment law attorney as soon as possible to explore your facts and determine your options. I would suggest you look either on this site in the Find a Lawyer section, or go to www.cela.org, the home page for the California Employment Lawyers Association, an organization whose members are dedicated to the representation of employees against their employers. Most employment attorneys who practice this area of law offer a free or low-charge consultation and then if the matter has merit and sufficient value, they work on a contingency basis, meaning you can hire an attorney without paying any money until the matter results in a positive outcome for you. Many advance all the costs of the litigation as well. Do not let fear of fees and costs keep you from finding a good attorney. Good luck to you.