Human Resource Blog

Is it legal for them to fire me?

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Hello, I was wondering if it is illegal for my former place of employment to fire me due to a hearsay comment. Another employee told my boss that I said something about her and I didn’t. She told me I was fired and would not hear my side of the story. I have heard from others that what she did was illegal, and I wanted to get another opinion.

In most states this is not fair, but it is legal.

The majority of US states operate under the “employment at will” doctrine, which simply means that the employer can fire anyone, at any time, for any reason or without any reason.

(It also means that an employee can quit at any time, with or without notice, for any reason or without a reason.)

 A few states, such as California, set strict limits on the “employment at will” concept, but most do not.

Unfortunately the rules prohibiting “hearsay” evidence apply in court, not in the workplace.

It would be illegal for the employer to fire  a worker under federal law, if the action was taken due to the worker’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (over 40), pregnancy or disability.

For a more specific answer, post another question or a comment that mentions your state.