Today’s job market has been hard hit with the COVID virus, and the resulting lockdowns. Unemployment numbers have reached an all-time high. If one day, you went to work only to find your things packed in a cardboard box and told that your services are no longer required, what would you do? When you are fired, laid off, or terminated, emotions run high, and people might think that this is unfair. Sometimes an unfair termination may be against the law and be a wrongful termination. It is important to talk to an unlawful termination attorney to determine your rights.
Unfair Termination vs Wrongful Termination
Anytime someone loses their job, it is painful and difficult. Oftentimes the reasons given by an employer may seem far-fetched, illogical or just plain wrong. But whether or not you agree with the rationale leading up to the termination or the reasons for the termination, does not necessarily mean that the termination is an actionable Wrongful Termination. A termination attorney can assist you. For example, your employer may have chosen to terminate you in order to hire a friend or family member. If you are an at-will employee, it is not fair to lose your job for such a reason, but unless there is more, a termination for those reasons is not against the law.
On the other hand, if your termination is because of a protected characteristic, activity, or action, then you may have been wrongfully terminated. For example, your employer cannot terminate you due to a disability. Thus, if you suffer a disabling injury and your employer fires you because you now have a disability, this is against the law. Similarly, if you become pregnant and your employer terminates you, that is against the law. Termination based on refusing to work in unsafe conditions or without proper safety equipment could also be considered unlawful.
Oftentimes, when employers wrongfully terminate an employee, they will create an excuse for the termination that is mere pretext. It is important to consult with a wrongful termination attorney to determine if you have been wrongfully terminated.
If you think that you were not treated fairly and that it had something to do with a protected characteristic or activity, such as whistleblowing, then you should seek the advice of a termination attorney who can guide you through the process of a wrongful termination suit.
This is the real world; we are not living in an episode of the Apprentice or Hell’s Kitchen where hearing “Your fired” or being told to get “the hell out” is just a game. Being terminated has massive consequences for you and your family. If you have lost your job, then you should seek the advice of a termination attorney. Contact us for more details.