You rely on your job to pay your bills, provide for your family and maintain your way of life. If your employer recently terminated you from your position, you may worry about how you will continue to live in your home, purchase food, etc.
Although your employer can terminate you for wrongdoing in the workplace, he or she cannot fire you for illegal reasons. The following are some signs that you were wrongfully terminated from your job.
Discrimination
Your employer cannot terminate you from your job because you are a certain gender, disabled or belong to another protected class. Take action if you believe your employer fired you because of your nationality, religion, race, ethnicity, sex or gender.
Retaliation
According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, your employer cannot fire you because you file a claim or make a complaint for illegal practices in the workplace. For example, if you request that your employer pay you fairly for overtime hours worked and then you get fired, this could be an occurrence of retaliation.
Breach of contract
Your employment contract may outline terms regarding when your employer can end your employment relationship with the company you work for. Review your employment contract to determine if your firing breaches the terms included in this contract.
It may be difficult to figure out what next steps to take after you lose your job unexpectedly. If you believe you are the victim of wrongful termination, write down your account of the situation and determine what you can do next to protect your legal rights.
