Signs That You Were Wrongfully Terminated From Your Last Job
Employers do have the right to let you go if you were not performing your job duties well, or if their need for your position ceased to exist. In some states, employees are even employed at will unless otherwise specified in their contract — which means your employer can just let you go at any time without giving a reason. However, there are definitely reasons for which your employer cannot let you go. For instance, they cannot fire you for your religious affiliation or because of your gender. It can be tough to know whether you've been terminated wrongfully, but here are a few signs you may have been wrongfully let go from your last job.
You were defamed or slandered prior to or at the time of your release.
If your employer or others in your place of employment spread false, negative information about you publicly around the time you were let go — or even earlier in your employment — this could point towards wrongful termination. Employers will sometimes do this as a way to "cover their tracks." They want to paint you in a bad light to make it seem like the termination was justified so that nobody looks into the possibility that you did not deserve to be let go.
Your employer did not follow the termination process outlined in a contract.
Many employment contracts specify that your employer must follow a certain order of events before letting you go. For example, maybe they need to issue two disciplinary letters or have two one-on-one meetings about performance before terminating you. If your contract has such specifications and you were let go without these rules being followed, then you were almost certainly wrongfully terminated.
You experienced discrimination.
An employer almost never says "we're letting you go because you're female" or "we're letting you go because you're a minority." However, if you experienced discrimination during your time at the company, you could easily argue that your termination was also because of your gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
Your employer was retaliating against you.
If you informed a regulatory body of actions your employer was taking that were illegal, they cannot fire you for this reason. Doing so is considered retaliation. This applies if you reported your employer for sexual misconduct, fraud, or any other illegal actions.
Determining whether or not you have a valid claim for wrongful termination is difficult, so contact a wrongful termination attorney to learn more.
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