A person has been wrongfully terminated from their employment if their employer’s decision violates federal, state, or local laws; the terms of an employment contract; or reasons that do not align with public policy. Below, we provide important information to help you determine if you have been wrongfully fired from your job.
Discrimination
Employees are protected by federal laws from being fired because of their age, disability, gender, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, or sex. Ask yourself the following questions, and if your answer is yes, then you might have a valid wrongful termination claim:
- Is there concrete evidence that you were fired for discriminatory reasons?
- Do you have circumstantial evidence of discrimination?
- Were employees similar to you treated differently because of their age, gender, race, or other category protected by law?
- Has your employer or superiors made comments or taken actions that show they are bias against certain groups?
Harassment
The law also prohibits harassment based on age, disability, gender, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, or sex. Ask yourself the following to see if you were harassed or working in a hostile environment:
- Did your employer or superior ever make offensive or insulting statements about protected groups of people?
- Were these statements frequently made to you or spoken in front of others?
- Has your employer ever made unwanted sexual advances or requests for sexual favors?
Retaliation
You cannot be fired or punished by an employer for taking part in certain protected practices. This includes reporting illegal behavior within the company or to outside enforcement agencies. Ask the following questions if you think you were fired as a form of retaliation:
- Before you got fired, did you report any violations to a supervisor, colleagues, human resources, or other enforcement agencies?
- Did your employer or supervisors react negatively or punish you for your reporting a violation?
- Were you discouraged from participating in an investigation regarding workplace violations?
If you answered yes to any of the questions in this blog, you might have been wrongfully fired from your job. Contact our Hartford team of wrongful termination attorneys to request a free case evaluation today.