Your boss does not need to give you a reason for firing you. But that doesn’t mean you can be fired for any reason. If you think you have been fired for an illegal reason, speak with the wrongful termination lawyers at Bolek Besser Glesius.
What is at-will employment in Ohio?
Ohio is an at-will employment state. That means you can be fired for a bad reason or no reason at all, as long as it isn’t an illegal reason. Sometimes written employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements change an employee’s at-will status and prevent employers from firing the employee absent a qualifying reason. Most Ohio employees are at-will, though.
Although at-will employment sounds like employers can do whatever they want, that isn’t the case. Many federal and Ohio employment laws protect employees from wrongful termination. Some are familiar to most people, like the laws against racial discrimination, disability discrimination, and age discrimination. There are many others that aren’t so obvious. For example, there are Ohio and federal employment laws that protect employees from retaliation for reporting certain workplace safety issues or for refusing to work in unsafe conditions in some circumstances. There are also various laws that protect employees who report things like corporate fraud, abuse of nursing home patients, and Medicare fraud. There are too many employment laws to list them all. An experienced wrongful termination lawyer should be able to help you spot whether there is an employment law that will protect you.
How do I prove wrongful termination?
There are many ways to prove wrongful termination. It might involve showing that employers treated other employees more favorably under similar circumstances. It might involve testimony from the employee or other witnesses about what a manager or human resources said. Or it might come down to showing what the employer accuses the employee of simply didn’t happen. What’s required to show wrongful termination in any case depends on the facts of the case. That’s why Ohio employees need to consult with experienced wrongful termination lawyers to vindicate their rights.
Wrongful termination lawyers in Ohio
Even though your employer isn’t required to give you a reason for firing you, it might raise some suspicions about wrongful termination if they don’t. The same is true if the reason they do give you seems suspicious. No matter what, if you believe your employer’s real reason for firing you was illegal, you should get help. Call the Cleveland wrongful termination attorneys at Bolek Besser Glesius for a free consultation to discuss your rights.
