What to Do If You Were Wrongfully Fired or Injured at Work

Did you know that you are rights as an employee if you are a victim of wrongful termination from work? What’s more, did you know that you can sue your former employer in a wrongful termination lawsuit if you feel that you were wrongfully laid off? 

Wrongful termination is a phrase that is used to describe when an employee of a company, no matter if the company was big or small, a corporation or a small business, who was unjustly or illegally fired from his or her position. Learn what you can do if you think you were wrongly fired from your job. 

1
Wrongful Termination 101: Information All Employees Should Know
wrongful termination
1 of 3 Next

In the United States, there are plenty of laws in place that are meant to protect employees and workers, so if an employer wants to fire you, they have to have good reason to do so. If they do not have good reason to do so, or if you think the reason they gave for firing you was unfair or unjust, you can cite file a claim in the court system. 

State and federal laws alike exist to protect employees at every juncture. From unfair reasoning and justification for choosing to terminate your employment, like workplace discrimination, you have the power to fight the unlawful termination in a court of law. 

While every state in America has their own set of employment laws, meaning that the rights employers and employees are each afforded by law might differ depending on which state you live in, there are some general laws in place by the federal government that are the same in every state across the country. 

So, in most states, there are a few types of wrongful terminations that will always be considered illegal no matter which state you are in. These are: 

  • If you violate a work contract as an employee. 

If you violate rules or agreements that the employer put in place in the employment contract that you signed at the start of your employment, then the employer may have the right to let you go and terminate your employment. That being said, if your employer breaks the contract by doing something that is in violation of the contract you both agreed to, you can therefore have the right to sue them for wrongful termination. 

  • Discrimination. 

If you feel like your employer decided to fire you for reasons that have to do with discrimination, then in every state in America, this means that the employer breached his contract and fired you illegally. Discrimination can take many forms in the workplace; there can be racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and more. 

  • Retaliation. 

If you think your boss has fired you because you reported illegal activity, reported harassment, witnessed harassment, or more, then this indicates that you were wrongfully terminated from your position by your boss. It is never legal for a boss to terminate your employment as a means of retaliation. 

Each of these reasons for being terminated might be interpreted differently depending on which state you are in. However, federal laws always are followed over state laws. So, if it seems like your boss fired you in a violation of federal law but not your state law, it is still illegal! 

1 of 3 Next

By Admin