Employers in New Jersey follow the at-will employment rule and have the option to fire employees when they want. In other words, your employer can terminate your contract as they wish, but there are certain state and federal laws to check on unlawful firing. Unfortunately, wrongful termination is not unusual and happens across industries. If you were fired in Paramus wrongfully, consider consulting the Law Offices of Usmaan Sleemi to know the next steps. In this post, we will discuss more about wrongful or unlawful termination.
Understanding wrongful termination
Employees have numerous rights, and many aspects are included in the contract they signed during the hiring process. If your employer decides to fire you, but the decision directly violates contract terms, you may have a claim. In many situations, wrong firing often involves employees who belong to a protected class. For instance, if you were fired because you just turned 50, it is age-based discrimination and wrongful according to laws. The same is true if your job is terminated because you reported harassment or filed a complaint against someone at work.
Ways to protect your wrongful termination claim
Certain essential steps can come in handy with regard to wrongful termination. Firstly, save all emails, texts, voicemails, and letters that may contain language that points towards discrimination. Keep a record of your performance reviews so far. Remember, your employer is smart and will usually try to claim that your work performance hasn’t been up to the mark and is the reason behind their decision. If you had conversations about your termination with your supervisor or manager, write down what you can remember, including the discriminatory or hateful language they may have used. If there were witnesses to such conversations, you may want to note down their details.
What can you recover?
If you decide to pursue your wrongful termination claim, you could recover a few things like lost payments and wages, front pay, lawyer’s fees, and related expenses like court costs and non-economic damages. The list of non-economic damages includes pain and suffering, as well as emotional distress. In some cases, it is also possible to recover punitive damages.
Is it necessary to seek help for your wrongful termination claim?
The short answer is yes. You will need a wrongful termination lawyer for your case, although you can proceed without legal help. Note that your employer already has a set of attorneys, and the chances are high that they have contemplated the case and the possible situations that are likely to arise. If you don’t have an attorney, you are pretty much navigating a blind path. You have to focus on finding a new job, and it is only smart to have a capable and experienced employment law attorney to fight for you. If you are concerned about the costs, you should know that many law firms in Paramus will be happy to work on contingency, and in some cases, victims just pay a flat fee for one task. Whether it is about representing the case as required or negotiating with the employer, your lawyer is your backbone for legal action.
Find a local wrongful termination lawyer in Paramus
Make sure to choose someone based in Paramus so that you can connect and contact them as and when required. You should also check if the attorney has worked on similar wrongful termination cases and what the exact outcomes were for those clients.
As long as the lawyer is empathetic, understanding, and willing to act, you will find the strength to raise your voice against wrongful termination and other kinds of discrimination.
