Question 1

What is Employment at Will?

Accepted Answer

Employment that is at-will can be terminated at any time, for any legal reason. Most employment relationships are at will.  A small number of employees have contracts stating that they can only be fired for cause – these are generally the only individuals who are not employed at will. But at will employment cannot be terminated for an illegal reason.

Question 2

What makes a termination "wrongful"?"

Accepted Answer

Employers are allowed to fire people for bad, unfair, and wrong reasons and no reason at all. Even if you are fired for something you did not do, the termination is not necessarily “wrongful” under the law. To have a legal claim, an employer must make an adverse employment decision – fires, disciplines, or otherwise treats an employee differently – for an illegal reason. Some reasons are perfectly legal, such as poor performance, personality conflicts or preference for family members. Other reasons are not legal.  A person cannot be subject to an adverse employment decision because of their race, national origin, color, age, gender, disability, or religion, complaints about unlawful acts, or use of health insurance benefits. If you want to know whether your termination was illegal, please contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

312.535.5995

Info@ziglerlawgroup.com