The job market can be tough at times, so most workers will do their bit to fulfill their duties and hold onto their jobs. Unfortunately, many employees in California have their positions terminated unfairly. Regardless of their value as a worker, if they come into conflict with their employer, their job is at risk. Fear of retaliation such as this further prevents many workers from challenging unfair treatment in their place of work.
In Montana, a former road supervisor has won a wrongful termination lawsuit against Ravalli County after being fired in 2012. The reason given by his employer for the dismissal was that he had lied about paving work done within the county. He maintained throughout his lawsuit that these allegations were false. The issue with the paving work was that the road supervisor had been stuck between two commissions for the same stretch of road.
The original job required as little work as possible to be done on the road, while the new order called for an extra $40,000 of work to be carried out. Regardless of this, he was fired following a daylong hearing, leaving him no choice but to file a lawsuit challenging the decision. It took some time, but in April 2014, a settlement was finally reached and the county agreed to pay $125,000 to its former employee.
This may have happened in another state, but workers in California can imagine the strain of being suddenly fired without due cause. If you find yourself in this situation, it is vital that you act quickly to challenge your employer. Irresponsible decisions on the part of employers cause massive damage to the lives and well-being of their employees and they must be held accountable. An attorney may be able to assist you in reaching a fair and favorable settlement.
Missoulian, “Ravalli County settles with fired road supervisor for $125K,” Perry Backus, May 16, 2014