Because Washington is an at-will employment state, your boss can fire you for any reason or no reason at all. As you can imagine, employers enjoy this flexibility. Still, there are some limitations to this power. An employer cannot violate an employment contract or retaliate because you refuse to break the law on their behalf.
If you were illegally fired, you might have a wrongful termination case that Premier Law Group can assist you with. Contáctenos today to schedule a meeting at a convenient time.
When is a Termination Wrongful?
There are several situations:
- Your employer fires you in violation of your employment contract. Usually, these contracts limit termination for “cause.” If cause doesn’t exist, your termination is wrongful, and you can seek remedies.
- Your employer terminates you for a discriminatory reason. Workers are protected from negative employment actions being taken on account of their gender, sexual identity, race, national origin, color, religion, age, or disability.
- Your employer retaliates against you for exercising a right. Workers have a right to family and medical leave, accommodations for disability, and to complain about illegal discrimination or harassment.
- Your employer wants you to break the law. Workers are protected from retaliation for refusing to break the law or affirmatively blowing the whistle on illegal conduct.
How Do You Bring a Wrongful Termination Claim?
Our Seattle employment lawyers can help you navigate the process. Typically, a case begins with finding evidence to support your claim. You can expect your employer to offer a self-serving reason for letting you go. They might claim your poor performance or even allege you were stealing from them.
We like to see evidence that refutes your employer’s excuse. For example, your performance reviews might show excellent work and a spotless disciplinary history. That evidence undermines any claim that your termination was for cause. Or the sequence of events raises eyebrows. You might have asked for a reasonable accommodation on Monday and been fired on Friday. That timeline is suspicious because the termination closely follows your attempt to exercise a legal right.
Some wrongful termination cases are immediately litigated in court, while others must pass through an administrative process first. If you have a breach of contract case, we might head straight to court. By contrast, if you allege discrimination, we might file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Washington State Human Rights Commission.
Remedies for Wrongful Termination
Our legal claim might request any of the following remedies:
- Attorney’s fees and costs
- Backpay
- Job reinstatement
- Compensatory damages
- Emotional distress damages
- Punitive damages
Many workers do not want to return to their workplace. It is up to you. We will discuss what remedies you want in a free consultation.
How the Wrongful Termination Team at Premier Law Group Can Help
Terminated workers need prompt, accurate legal advice to understand their rights better. At Grupo Para La Gente, we are available to meet for a confidential consultation with anyone who has questions. Let us review the strength of your case and lay out different legal options.