One of the reasons that wrongful termination cases can get so complicated is that employers are well aware of the reasons they can and cannot fire their employees. When they decide to violate an employee’s rights and fire them over something that should not warrant it, they may attempt to hide it from the very beginning. It can be difficult to prove that’s what they’re doing.
For example, one man felt that he was being bullied at work. He filed a complaint with his employer. They fired him because of it. When asked why, though, they claimed that the position was redundant and they simply did not need him.
Employers could also use the idea of combining positions in the same fashion. For instance, maybe you got discriminated against based on your race, and you don’t make as much money as other workers of different ethnicities. If you complain about it, the company could terminate your position and claim they’re just combining the duties you did with another employee — essentially, just saying they don’t need two people to do that job.
However, they may then create a “brand new” position that addresses a lot of the same tasks and duties you usually took on. They could give that person a different title to disguise it, but it’s clear to you that they fired you because of the discrimination allegations and then hired someone else in your place.
These are just two examples, but they help to show how complicated things can get and why you must know about all of your legal options.
