Maryland and Washington, D.C., Attorneys Handling Wrongful Termination Claims
If you were laid off abruptly, you may suspect that your employer did so in an unlawful manner. You are advised to discuss your situation with a lawyer experienced in the intricacies of labor and employment law. Keep in mind that employers must often make tough staffing decisions. Simply being fired is not evidence that your employer has done something illegal. Your boss may have had legitimate reasons for letting you go. Even with no visible reason, an employer has the right to hire and fire employees at will.
Wrongful termination may have occurred if your employer obviously fired you as a type of illegal discrimination based on race, veteran status or pregnancy, for example. Or your employer may have fired you illegally if the termination was in fact retaliatory discharge after you:
- Reported sexual harassment
- Reported wrongdoing as allowed for under whistleblower laws
If the discharge is not illegal, it cannot be called wrongful termination even if you believe that it was unfair or that you were targeted because someone didn't like you personally. A personality conflict may not rise to the legal level of employment discrimination based on national origin, religion or age. Furthermore, your employer may have a good reason for letting you go based on agreements you signed your name to when you were hired.
Perhaps you have not been fired yet but you suspect that you are being scrutinized in preparation for possible termination. You would do well to speak with one of our experienced employment discrimination attorneys to position yourself favorably in the event that you are fired. Talk to us at Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A. to learn what your rights and responsibilities are when you are employed at will. Call or e-mail the law offices of Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A. to schedule a consultation with an employment law attorney, either before or after being fired.
