Unfortunately, there are many people who feel that they are being discriminated against at work. Some people will end up being fired for it. There are others who speak up about unethical behavior by their boss and end up being terminated shortly after in retaliation.
These types of incidents are illegal. There are certainly many valid reasons to be terminated from a job. Yet, when it happens there is often a period in which it is understood that it is a possibility due to poor work performance or some other reasons.
When you feel like there was no justification for being fired and it may have been due to discrimination or retaliation then there will likely be signs. In this article, we will go over several of them so you can then go to a lawyer like the ones at HKM.com.
1 – You’re in a protected class
If you are a minority, a woman, disabled, or part of the LGBT community then you are among the protected classes of employees that get extra protection from the law. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be fired. It simply means that the termination has to be justified so it doesn’t happen because of discrimination.
There are times when these protected classes of workers are exploited or discriminated against and being fired for no reason is one of those things that happens. If you are in a protected class then there has to be a reason given that justifies it. Often, the manager is able to cover their tracks and make up an excuse. However, some of these excuses are flimsy and it becomes obvious that the real reason was that you’re a minority or other type of person.
If this is the case, then get documentation as to why you were let go and bring it to a lawyer. They will then ask you for more evidence and will try to bring a case forward for you.
2 – Breach of contract
A breach of contract on its own is a serious violation and can go to court for its own sake. However, if you feel that promises were broken and your contract was broken for discriminatory reasons then you have an even stronger case to make.
Even if it isn’t a case of discrimination, your broken contract is a case of wrongful termination anyway. If you were hired to work a certain amount of time and are let go before the agreed-upon time is up then you can sue the company.
Promises that were made that were not on a contract are also legally binding so keep any communication that states that you were promised a certain amount of work.
3 – Retaliation
If you stood up for somebody at work or reported some unethical behavior and then were fired, then you have a clear case of retaliation. This is the very definition of wrongful termination.
If you have evidence that there were no issues with you as an employee until you had an incident that was retaliated against then this should be enough for a judge to make a determination in your favor.
