Get Workplace Justice With Our Cicero, IL Wrongful Termination Lawyer
Getting laid off or fired from your job is stressful enough when you see it coming, but when you’re let go seemingly out of nowhere, you may be left wondering, “What did I do wrong? Was I wrongfully fired?” wrongful termination is when an employer lets you go not because you did a bad job or had attendance issues, but rather because of something non-performance-related, like your membership in a protected class or in retaliation for whistleblowing or filing a workers’ compensation lawsuit. Our Cicero, IL wrongful termination lawyer can help you understand the difference between an “acceptable” termination and a wrongful one.
Employers can be pretty creative when coming up with reasons to let someone go. They know Illinois employment laws as well as the attorneys at Disparti Law Group do and will be careful to give the appearance of following them. In our decades of experience litigating employment claims, though, we’ve seen a lot of suspect actions, and we know how to get to the truth of the matter.
If you’ve been wrongfully terminated, you may have more rights than you know, including the right to sue your former employer. Call us today to get started.
What Is Wrongful Termination?
Wrongful termination is basically an illegal termination. Illinois is an at-will state for employment, which means that employers don’t need to give a reason for firing someone, no does an employee need to give a reason to quit.
That being said, just because employment is at-will doesn’t mean that there are illegal reasons to fire someone, like:
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Employer retaliation for filing an EEOC claim, like racial or gender discrimination or failure to provide reasonable accommodations per the ADA
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Employee refusal to participate in quid pro quo sexual harassment (sexual favors for workplace advancement)
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Employee reporting sexual harassment or a hostile work environment
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Employer termination due to an employee’s membership in a protected class, including race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, and pregnancy
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Employee filing a workers’ compensation claim (especially if it’s a high-value one)
What To Do If You Are Wrongfully Terminated
If you believe you’ve been wrongfully terminated, your next steps can be crucial to protecting any claim to compensation. You have the right to your employee file, including any disciplinary actions and performance reviews. Request copies of those; your lawyer can use these to prove your claim.
Next, talk to an experienced employment attorney. They can review your situation and determine whether you have a justified claim.
If you know that you have filed a workers’ compensation claim, reported a hostile work environment, or spoke up in another way, such as a whistleblower, write down everything you recall about the matter. Save all emails and other related communication; this could be the reason you were fired, and your lawyer needs as much information about the matter as you can provide. Getting information about the matter from your employer may prove difficult.
You could be entitled to compensation after a wrongful termination, including lost wages, loss of earning potential, and harm to your professional reputation. Our Cicero wrongful termination lawyer can help you find out more in a free consultation. Call Disparti Law Group today to learn more about your rights.
