In today’s post we continue our discussion about different types of wrongful termination. In our last post we covered wrongful termination based on discrimination, which is probably the scenario that most people think of when they hear about this topic.
In reality there are quite a few scenarios that can lead to a wrongful discharge. Another scenario may look like this: you take time off to go vote or for military service. When you return, you find out you have been fired. If you were discharged because you took time off for these reasons, you may have a case.
Another situation involves the actual rules outlined by your employer. Your company may have a handbook that details the process of termination. It may say that you have to receive two written warnings related to poor performance before you can be terminated. If you did not receive these warnings before being fired, you may want to discuss your case with an attorney.
Other situations may include specific contracts. You may have a contract that was supposed to run a certain length of time and the employee terminated you before the contract expired. In this case, you may have a legitimate breach of contract claim.
Finally, there are two more really troubling scenarios. An employee may have a strong wrongful termination case if he or she was fired as a means of retaliation. For example, let’s say you notice your employer violating federal laws. After you report them to a federal agency, the company quickly fires you. This may very well be a wrongful termination issue.
The other scenario involves an employee refusing to break laws. There have been cases where an employee was asked to do something illegal and the employee refused. After doing so, that employee was fired.
As you can see, wrongful termination may be linked to a large variety of scenarios. Sometimes it’s hard to know whether your termination may be considered wrongful. An attorney can help you understand the legal aspects of your case.