Losing a job or getting laid off can be devastating news for an Illinois resident who has a family to support. Finding a new job is not easy for anyone, and for many, losing a job can also mean losing benefits and dipping into savings that were not intended to be spent. Changes in the economy can lead to layoffs and terminations that workers cannot control, but certain terminations do not fall under these generally accepted forms of firings.
Any termination that is based on discrimination is generally not acceptable under the law. Certain personal characteristics and qualities, such as the religion a person chooses to practice, their gender, or their ethnicity cannot be the basis of their release from employment. When employers fire their employees because of these and other classifications, the employers have likely committed the tort of wrongful termination.
A wrongful termination may have evidence to support it. The comments an employer makes about their fired employee, either through their words or their written communications, may demonstrate that discrimination was the reason for the employee’s termination. Evidence of other employees being treated differently than the fired employee could also show that they were treated in a discriminatory manner when it came to letting them go from their job.
Not every employment termination is wrongful, and workers may be let go for cause or for financial reasons. However, when a termination is predicated on the discriminatory and illegal actions of an employer, the affected employee has rights. They can choose to fight their termination and can pursue claims to protect their employment with the help of dedicated employment law attorneys.