California employees can expect not to be face retaliation in the workplace. Retaliation occurs when an employee is punished for reporting illegal behavior, complaining about unsafe work conditions or otherwise engaging in whistleblowing. If an employee’s contract is terminated or a person is fired in retaliation then according to California employment laws a wrongful termination may have taken place.
A former California state Senator has recently filed a wrongful termination suit against his former employer. The man worked as the executive director of the California State Bar Association — the association that is responsible for certifying attorneys in the state. According to the man, he was terminated following an internal investigation.
The man claims that the investigation was undertaken after he complained about improprieties in one of the Association’s departments. He claims that in this departments, productivity numbers were being inflated. The woman in charge of this department, allegedly complained to the board of trustees about the man leading to the termination of his contract.
In this case, the man is seeking damages. He is also asking to be reinstated into his former position. With the help of his attorney, the man is trying to have the case expedited in the California legal system.
Employees, like this man, who feel that they have suffered a wrongful termination should make sure to understand their legal rights. In addition to retaliation, wrongful termination includes illegal termination for a variety of reasons including for discriminatory reasons. This means that if a person was fired because of the person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or other similar characteristic that the termination was illegal. With the right help, there are legal remedies that can help to make the situation right.
Source: The Sacramento Bee, “Former Sen. Joe Dunn sues California Bar for firing him,” Jon Ortiz, Nov. 13, 2014
