Do I have a leg to stand on?

Ron Monroe

New Member
Jurisdiction
Georgia
So I was terminated after being put on 2 weeks suspension. This is the exact language used "the investigation returned that there is a perception of you being in an inappropriate relationship with an associate. This behavior is not fitting for a senior manager of the organization. For that read we are terminated your employment effective immediately."
 
Absent some contractual obligations (which you probably would have mentioned), your employment was "at will". Based only on what you've posted, the termination was valid.
 
So I was terminated after being put on 2 weeks suspension. This is the exact language used "the investigation returned that there is a perception of you being in an inappropriate relationship with an associate. This behavior is not fitting for a senior manager of the organization. For that read we are terminated your employment effective immediately."

There is no recourse for this assuming that (1) this was a private employer and thus not a government agency, (2) you did not have an employment contract with the employer for a fixed period of time (e.g. one year or whatever) and that limited the reasons you could be fired and (3) you were not a member of a union with a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the employer that limited the reasons for for which you could be fired. File for unemployment benefits and start your search for a new job.

When the employer is not a government agency, then the employer may legally fire you for any reason (or no reason at all) except for a few reasons prohibited by law. The prohibited reasons include firing you because:
  • of your race, color, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, or genetic test information under federal law (some states/localities add a few more categories like sexual orientation);
  • you make certain kinds of reports about the employer to the government or in limited circumstances to specified persons in the employing company itself (known as whistle-blower protection laws);
  • you participate in union organizing activities;
  • you use a right or benefit the law guarantees you (e.g. using leave under FMLA);
  • you filed a bankruptcy petition;
  • your pay was garnished by a single creditor; and
  • you took time off work to attend jury duty (in most states).
The exact list of prohibited reasons will vary by state. None of those sorts of reasons were involved here unless the employer lied about the reason for your termination.
 
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