If you have been laid off or fired, and believe that you may have lost your job for an unlawful reason, you may have a right to bring a lawsuit for wrongful termination against your former employer. Your potential legal remedies include money damages and, if you haven’t been officially released yet, negotiation for an appropriate severance package that includes adequate compensation.

The term “wrongful termination” means that an employer has fired or laid off an employee for illegal reasons. Illegal reasons for termination include:

• Firing in violation of federal and state anti-discrimination laws;
• Firing as a form of sexual harassment;
• Firing in violation of oral and written employment agreements;
• Firing in violation of labor laws, including collective bargaining laws;
• Firing in retaliation for the employee’s having filed a complaint or claim against the employer.

Some of these violations carry statutory penalties, while others will result in the employer’s payment of damages based on the terminated employee’s lost wages and other expenses. Certain wrongful termination cases may raise the possibility that the employer pay punitive damages to the terminated employee, while other cases may carry the prospect of holding more than one wrongdoer responsible for damages.

Many national origin discrimination claims include charges of workplace harassment including ethnic slurs, workplace graffiti, and other conduct creating a hostile work environment based on an individual’s birthplace, ethnicity, culture, or foreign accent. Such conduct may be “merely offensive” if it isolated, but if it becomes severe and pervasive, adversely affecting the victim’s performance, it will violate Title VII. If you believe you have been wrongfully terminated, please contact us to learn how we can help.