The Exceptions To At-Will Employment In The State Of California

The State of California relies on at-will employment laws. But, there are certain acts that violate these at-will employment laws, even if they don’t necessarily appear to.

Going over the exceptions to the State of California’s at-will employment laws and speaking with a Northern California employment law attorney will make it easier for you to obtain the legal outcome you deserve.

What Is At-Will Employment?

The definition of “at-will employment” is as follows: an employer can terminate you at any time, and, in turn, you can leave your job at any time for no reason whatsoever.

Just as an example, if you are at a job and your employer needs to fire two people to save money, they can fire you even if you haven’t done anything wrong.

Even though the State of California relies on at-will employment laws, there is one thing to note: there are some instances in which firing an individual is illegal, and at-will employment laws do not protect against these instances.

What Are The Exceptions To At-Will Employment?

The exceptions to at-will employment are as follows:

  1. You cannot be fired for your race, sexual orientation, religion, gender, or age, among a number of other protected characteristics.
  2. You cannot be fired for whistleblowing or filing a complaint within the business you work for regarding their practices.
  3. You cannot be fired for refusing to engage in illegal activities or to violate the laws and regulations that govern the state of California and/or the United States as a whole.
  4. You cannot be fired if you signed an employment contract stipulating when you can be fired, and your firing does not align with that contract.

If you are fired for one of the reasons outlined above, then you may be the victim of wrongful termination. As a victim of wrongful termination, you can work with an attorney and file a lawsuit against your employer.

What Happens If You File A Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Against Your Employer?

If you file a wrongful termination lawsuit against your employers, you may be able to have your job/position reinstated.

On top of that, you may be able to obtain back pay. This means that if you were fired for one month and you get your job reinstated, you will obtain the wages you would have normally received for that period.

Outside of those two things, you can also receive some form of monetary damages if you file a wrongful termination lawsuit against your employer.

The amount of money you can receive in monetary damages depends on your lawsuit. But, if you work with a good attorney and build a good case with them, you may be able to obtain a fairly large sum.

Speak With A Northern California Employment Law Attorney Today

If you were wrongfully terminated, you should obtain legal assistance. Speak with a Northern California employment litigation lawyer at Maire & Deedon today, and we will help you obtain the legal outcome that you are owed.