“At-will” employment is not uncommon in the Twin Cities, nor is it uncommon throughout the United States. A person who is hired into a job with an at-will status may leave their job whenever they want, without notice or justification. However, the at-will relationship between a worker and their employer goes both ways. An employer can also release an at-will employee without notice or cause.
Therefore, it may seem difficult for an at-will employee to establish that they were fired or let go from their job in a wrongful manner. If an employer can terminate an at-will employee’s employment for any reason, it would seem that claims of discrimination and other wrongful activity may be lost as grounds for the employee to rely on. While it may not always be easy to show that an at-will employee’s termination was wrongful, certain exceptions exist to the rules of at-will employment that may support claims of wrongful termination.
First, at-will employers may not violate the law in the firing or termination of their employees’ employment. If a worker is let go only because they are of an advanced age, or because of their race, then their termination may be be wrongful. Similarly, if a termination violates the public policy of the state, then the firing of the at-will employee may be considered wrongful.
Getting help after a suspected wrongful termination is imperative to protecting the legal rights and economic prosperity of an individual, regardless of whether their employment is at-will. Different employment law claims can have different outcomes, and it is important that our readers get case-specific support with their wrongful termination issues.
