We couldn’t believe this when we saw it. A fire engineer has filed a lawsuit against the Five Cities Fire Authority claiming wrongful termination. Jarrid Boyer claims he was terminated from his position after he discovered that the Fire Authority was not paying into the California Public Employees Retirement System for reserve firefighters who worked more than 1,000 hours annually.
Boyers said that “Chief Lieberman grew more aggressive and hostile in his demeanor when he told Mr. Boyer to ‘focus on his engineer promotional exam’ and to ‘not ever bring this issue up again.’”
Shortly afterward, Boyer was fired by Chief Lieberman, despite having been promoted and hired as a full-time engineer. The chief said Boyer’s “failure to satisfactorily complete his probationary period” led to his termination.
It will take a while for this case to play out in court, but it highlights how retaliation can lead to wrongful termination.
There are many examples of things that can lead to an employee being wrongfully terminated. One of the most common reasons is when someone is terminated and it was because of discrimination. California and federal laws protect employees from being fired because of their race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, pregnancy, and age.
While many companies hire people fairly, employees in those groups often find that the workplace culture does not accept them and sometimes find themselves out of a job. The company will never say they are terminating someone because they are a part of one of the groups we listed. Often, they will fabricate reasons for the firing.
Often, people are hired to work under a contract. This applies to both employees and independent contractors. Whether a contract is written or verbal, it is an agreement that an employee depends on for their livelihood. If an employer terminates the contract before the specified time, they could face legal action. Terminating the contract could lead to lost wages and benefits the employee was depending on. Not only is this a breach of contract, but also wrongful termination.
There are other times when an employer violates their own disciplinary procedures. For example, if the company is required to give employees a verbal warning and two written warnings before termination in dealing with disciplinary actions, but fires the employee after just one verbal warning, this could be a case of wrongful termination.
If the company you work for has fired you for reasons that were out of your control and you believe you have been wrongfully terminated, you can contact us at The Kaufman Law Firm by clicking here or calling us at 310-981-3404. We will patiently listen to your case and provide consultation, walking you through all of your options. Our wrongful termination lawyers in Los Angeles understand how important your job is for you and your family and we want to help you recover any compensation you are due if you were treated unfairly.