Los Angeles Wrongful Termination Lawyer

Overview of Wrongful Termination

“Wrongful termination” is when an employee is fired from their job for illegal reasons. In most US states, including California, wrongful termination is very difficult to prove in court. That because California and other states follow the doctrine of at-will employment, which means employees and their employers can end employment at any time for nearly any reason.

Cause for Legal Action?

Legally unacceptable reasons to fire an employee are mostly limited to illegal forms of discrimination: prejudiced behavior towards people based on their race, sex, class, nation of origin, age or any disability people might have. There are some other exceptions, like when a person is fired for refusing to commit an illegal act.

Unfortunately, if you feel you have been fired for an unfair reason other than illegal discrimination, you do not necessarily have a legal case. However, there are some exceptions to this. For example, your employee handbook may lay out specific steps the company will take – verbal warning, written warning, etc – before firing employees. If an employer has let you go without following these steps, you could have a wrongful termination case. Also, if an employer gives you some written or verbal reassurance that you will not lose your job for some length of time, this can be construed as a contract between the two of you, guaranteeing that your job is safe for now. Therefore, if you were given reassurance but then laid off, you could have grounds for a wrongful termination case.

Contact

If you have been the victim of wrongful termination due to discrimination, or you feel you have been wrongfully terminated for any reason and wish to explore your legal options, contact Los Angeles wrongful termination lawyer Perry Smith today. His number is (888) 356-2529.