The grounds for filing a wrongful termination lawsuit in South Bay depend greatly on the nature of your contract with your employer. You may think of an employment contract as a piece of paper that you have to sign, but that’s not the only kind: contracts also come in the form of a spoken agreement, or implied from other work documents.
Even if you never signed anything, it is still possible for your employer to be in breach of contract if they fired you. Scheduling a visit with an employment lawyer at Kirtland & Packard LLP can help you figure out whether your firing was legal.
Employment contracts generally come in three forms:
- Written contract- A written agreement, signed by you and your employer, detailing the terms of your job and the circumstances that can lead to your termination.
- Oral contract- If your employer sets the terms of your employment by speaking to you in person or over the phone, it’s considered a legally binding agreement.
- Implied contract- These are much less straightforward than oral or written contracts. Basically, if company policies or previous experience led you to believe you would not be fired for the reasons your employee fired you, you may have grounds for a lawsuit.
Generally, the law assumes that most employees in the United States work at will, and can therefore quit or be fired at any time for almost any reason. In California, however, it is always illegal to fire an employee for discriminatory reasons such as race, gender, sexual orientation, union activity, or whistleblowing.
If you don’t believe your employer had the grounds to fire you, it would be a good idea to call the wrongful termination lawyers at Kirtland & Packard LLP for a free consultation. We will listen to your side of the story, examine any evidence you have, and give you some options for your next step. Kirtland & Packard LLP serves clients in South Bay, Torrance, Redondo Beach, and the surrounding areas. Call us at 310-536-1000.