Many Florida residents have been fired for reasons they feel are unjust. Your boss may have fired you simply because they did not like your personality or because your coworker blamed you for something you did not do.
While an undeserved firing can leave a bad taste in our mouths, it is often not enough to warrant an employment law claim against a former employer. In Florida, an at-will employment state, your employer has the right to fire you for any legal reason.
However, there are many illegal reasons for firing someone that do often warrant legal action against an employer. Here are a few illegal reasons for firing an employee:
- Discrimination: Firing an employee based on their age, race, gender, or other protected characteristic.
- Retaliation: Firing an employee for engaging in a protected activity (e.g., filing a harassment complaint).
- Whistleblowing: Firing an employee for reporting a work safety violation.
- Breach of contract: Firing an employee for reasons not allowed in their contract (e.g., firing an employee without good cause when the contract requires good cause for termination).
Proving wrongful termination
Employers are not going to openly admit to firing you for an illegal reason. In fact, they will often go out of their way to cite legal reasons for your termination just to cover up the illegal reason. For example, your employer may claim that you were fired for poor work performance, even if your performance reviews were excellent.
Preserving evidence, such as email correspondence, performance reviews, and voicemails, and documenting incidents as they arise will likely help your case.