When an employer chooses to fire an employee, that dismissal is subject to federal and state laws designed to protect employees against discrimination and unfair business practices. A wrongful termination can be a traumatic experience, leaving the victim with many questions about how to protect their rights, feeling all alone with nowhere to turn.
If you believe you were the victim of a wrongful termination, you can turn to the Law Office of Fahim Rahman. We will answer all of your questions and help you get the justice you deserve. Before you take any action, speak with an experienced employment lawyer who can defend your legal rights and help you prove your case in a court of law.
What is “At Will Employment” and How Does it Affect Your Rights?
The Fair Housing and Employment Act of California has strict mandates in place to protect your legal rights when you are fired from your job. The state of California follows “at will employment” laws which means that any employee is subject to termination, with or without cause. Conversely, the employee has the same right to leave that employer whenever he or she wishes to do so. Both parties are free to terminate the working relationship at any time.
However, while an employer may fire an employee at any time, the reasons behind the termination must comply with state and federal laws and any discriminatory actions can be met with strict penalties and punitive damages on the part of the plaintiff in a court of law.
Simply put, just because an employer fires you from your position of employment doesn’t necessarily mean that employer had a legal right to do so. Firing an employee is a serious act and if it turns out that action was taken as a result of discrimination or retaliation on the part of your employer, you may have a strong case for a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Illegal Termination for Discriminatory Reasons
Our highly-skilled wrongful termination legal team has been winning cases and getting our clients significant compensatory damages after being fired for reasons that violate federal anti discrimination laws and state laws in place to protect employees just like you.
A wrongful firing can occur for many reasons. If you have recently been terminated from your place of employment under any of the following justifications, you may have a wrongful termination case and it’s absolutely imperative that you have expert legal counsel on your side.
Wrongful Discharge Due to Discrimination
The laws protect employees from being dismissed from their position of employment based on personal lifestyle choices or characteristics that are often beyond their control. Some examples would be firing an employee because of his or her age, sexual orientation or preference, ethnic background, disability, or choosing to pursue a pregnancy.
These are not legal reasons for dismissing an employee from his or her position of employment.
If you have recently been terminated from your job and you believe it was done for discriminatory reasons, you should call the law firm that has been taking on unscrupulous employers and winning cases time and again and collecting large financial judgments. The team at the Law Office of Fahim Rahman is ready to hear your side of the story and discuss the ways in which we can protect your rights and get you the justice you deserve.
Discriminatory Discharge of Pregnant Employees
Employees who have chosen to get pregnant may have up to twelve weeks of leave that they can use, knowing with all assurance that their same job will be waiting for them when they return. No changes or adjustments to the duties, expectations, compensation, or any other major attributes of the terms of employment may be altered, reduced, paused, or otherwise modified in any fashion when the employee returns to work.
Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, employers are prohibited from terminating any employee on the basis of becoming pregnant or other related medical conditions associated with the pregnancy, including the need for specific accommodations during pregnancy.
Any employee has the right not to fear for their job because of a pregnancy and the Law Office of Fahim Rahman has been protecting employees from these unjust dismissals by winning wrongful termination cases against unjust employers.
Illegal Termination as a Form of Retaliation
When a wrongful termination occurs, the reasons behind it may not be limited to discriminatory acts. Some employers may choose to fire an employee as a way to retaliate against that individual for exercising his or her rights under the law or protecting him or herself (and possibly others) by reporting illegal activity.
An unscrupulous employer may decide to fire an employee because he or she acted as a whistleblower to report wrongdoing or reported an employer for taking inappropriate actions.
In any case, firing an employee as a form of retaliation because that person exercised their rights is not just unethical, it’s also illegal. The following are some examples of an employee suffering an unlawful discharge from their employment as a form of retaliation:
Sexual Harassment Claim
An employee who has reported inappropriate behavior of a supervisor or colleague to the company’s human resources department or filed a police report after an incident has occurred, and been terminated shortly after such a report has been made could choose to bring a wrongful termination claim against that employer.
In an instance such as this, you are protected under the law from wrongful termination motivated solely by retaliation for calling out this behavior and informing the proper authorities.
Whistleblower Protections
Any employee acting as a whistleblower to report illegal or unethical business practices to supervisors, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders and authorities at the local, state, or federal level, have the right to be protected against dismissal from their position of employment after filing a complaint or report about the illegal or unethical practice on the part of their employer or other supervisors.
Both state and federal laws have specific laws and guidelines in place to safeguard whistleblowers as a way to foster integrity, honesty, and fair business practices in the marketplace. Any individual brave enough to act as a whistleblower should have the confidence and peace of mind to proceed with their report without fear of losing their job in the process.
Medical Leave
Qualifying employees are entitled to a certain amount of sick leave, either paid or unpaid, and any employee should have the freedom to exercise their rights without fear of reprisal from an employer who wants to deny their request for medical leave or terminate their employment after taking the time they need.
This is illegal under California law, the Federal Medical Leave Act, and the California Family Rights Act. Any employer who has terminated an employee for using the medical leave to which they are entitled could be found liable for their actions and if you believe you have been a victim of this type of retaliation, you may decide to bring a wrongful termination case against your employer.
Wrongfully Terminated?
We Can Help.
The Law Office of Fahim Rahman understands that wrongful termination lawsuits can be intimidating, complicated, and emotionally damaging. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect your rights. We can help you bring a case against an employer who has tried to exploit or take advantage of you in the workplace. Any employer who has violated the Fair Employment and Housing Act is counting on you to be too scared or too confused about the law to do anything about it.
Don’t let your rights be trampled. Protect yourself and talk to one of our unlawful termination lawyers who can help determine if you have a case based on the facts of your particular termination experience. This is a difficult time and we don’t want you to go through it alone. We know you have many questions and our team of experts have the answers you need to help guide you along.
If you have been wrongfully terminated, you could be entitled to compensation in the form of punitive damages, emotional distress damages, and lost benefits. Speak with an experienced attorney who can get you the justice you deserve. Call the Law Office of Fahim Rahman today.