If a business starts to suffer financially, they may be quick to fire a significant amount of their workforce. Being laid off without notice is a terrible thing to go through. It could mean that you face significant financial insecurity, and you may even worry about how you will be able to provide for your family.
If you have recently been fired in Tennessee, you may have been a victim of wrongful termination. Wrongful termination means that your employer fired you illegally. If you can prove this, you may be able to have your job reinstated to gain back damages.
Being wrongfully fired as an at-will employee
If you are an at-will employee, your employer can technically fire you at any moment and not give notice. This means that your protections from unemployment are very limited. However, there are still instances in which you are protected. All at-will employees are protected from discrimination or retaliation. Therefore, if you believe that you were fired for a discriminatory or retaliatory reason, you may be able to take legal action.
What counts as a discriminatory firing?
If you are fired because of your gender, race, nationality, religion, disability, age or pregnancy, this is illegal. You must be able to give evidence to show that you were fired for a discriminatory reason.
What counts as a retaliatory firing?
If you were fired because you made a complaint or were a victim of sexual harassment, this is retaliation and an example of wrongful termination.
If you believe that you were wrongfully fired in Tennessee, you should make sure that you take action to get the damages that you deserve.