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Were You Fired Unfairly? 4 Reasons to Pursue a Lawsuit
If you have been wrongfully terminated, you can call a lawyer to get it sorted out for you
17:27 14 March 2022
Did you recently get terminated from your job for reasons that don’t seem fair or legal? If you were fired for any kind of discriminatory or retaliatory reason – or if you were forced to resign – you might have a wrongful termination case.
A wrongful termination action can be anything from discrimination to retaliation, including sexual harassment. If you’re wrongfully terminated, you have recourse through a lawsuit.
The first thing you want to do is connect with a wrongful termination lawyer in your area to find out if you have a case. Most attorneys will give you a free case review and it’s important to go through this process because every termination case is unique. You won’t know how strong your case is until you speak with legal counsel.
So, if you’ve been fired and you believe it was discriminatory, here’s why you should pursue a lawsuit.
- You’re going to need the money
Being fired means not having an income for a certain period of time. Unless you have a large savings account, your bills and other financial obligations will quickly become overwhelming.
Think about all the bills you pay on a regular basis. There’s rent (or a mortgage), gas, car insurance, phone, TV, internet, and all those little subscription services you have like Netflix, Hulu, or even Photoshop. The average person spends over $600 on subscription services each year. All of these bills will suck your savings account dry until you find another job.
You might find a new job in a few weeks – or it could take months. You’ll eventually have another source of income, but during that time, you’ll rack up some debt.
If you win your lawsuit against your former employer, you won’t get your settlement money right away. However, when it comes, you can use it to pay off past-due bills and replenish the savings you depleted while searching for a new job.
- Your former employer should be held accountable
If your former employer fired you based on any of the following reasons, they need to be held accountable:
- Reporting them to the health department
- Filing a workers’ compensation claim
- Refusing to do something illegal or unethical
- Taking medical leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Getting pregnant
- Being a certain race, gender, or color
- Having a disability
- Any other form of discrimination
By taking your employer to court, you’ll be holding them accountable for discrimination. This will accomplish several things. First, if you win your case, you’ll get compensated for your struggles. Second, the judge might hand down punitive damages that will require your former employer to change their practices, which will benefit existing workers. Finally, your case might inspire others to file their own lawsuits.
- You don’t want your employer to get away with discrimination
Discrimination is illegal, but it still happens frequently. Most of the time, you can file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Center (EEOC), but they have a reputation for not properly investigating claims, so a lawyer is your best chance.
When an employer dismisses you because they’re being retaliatory or discriminating against you, it’s an awful feeling. You don’t deserve to be treated that way.
Sometimes it’s appropriate to let things go, but not always. Seeking justice through a lawsuit is not a frivolous pursuit. It’s a way to make things right to the best of your ability when your former employer has done you wrong.
Filing a lawsuit is the respectable way to get justice for an unfair termination. It’s better than trying to seek revenge or get even in ways that are either unethical or illegal. Don’t be tempted to fight or argue with your former boss. Just talk to a lawyer and find out how you can file a lawsuit.
- You’ll never mediate your situation
If you think you can use your powerful communication skills to play mediator and convince your employer to reverse their decision, think again. If they fired you for a discriminatory reason, they’re not going to listen to your attempts to work things out. They’re not going to change their mind about the morality of what they’ve done.
When you can’t resolve a situation through communication, and the other party isn’t willing to listen or look at the situation newly, you have no other options. In the case of being illegally fired, you have the option of filing a lawsuit and getting fairly compensated for your losses.
You deserve to be compensated
If filing a lawsuit seems difficult, you’re not alone. However, when you have a good lawyer, they’ll take care of everything and guide you through the entire process.