California has some of the most worker-friendly labor laws in the country, but that doesn’t mean that California employees always understand the various nuances of those laws. For instance, many people get confused about wrongful terminations. They may think that they are protected from being fired from their jobs even when that is just not the case.
In truth, employers can and do fire their employees every day for many reasons — or no reason at all. Of course, there are reasons protected under the state and federal anti-discrimination laws for which it’s illegal to fire a worker. If such was the case with your termination, you may have a legitimate case of wrongful termination.
But there are other areas that are more legally nebulous that may still provide you some protection under California law. One such exception might be the “implied-in-law” contracts. Suppose that your employer wants to cut costs by denying you your retirement benefits so they concoct another reason to fire you. If you can prove it, under the implied-in-law status that California maintains, this could open the door to a favorable legal resolution.
Of course, believing that was why you were let go and proving that in a court of law are two very separate paths. The first course of action for you should be to seek a legal review of the circumstances surrounding your separation from employment. An attorney may find that your employer was within their rights to let you go. But they also could establish that you were wrongfully terminated from your job. By working together closely with your employment law attorney, you may be able to build a winning case.