New Jersey is an at-will employment state. This means that absent of an employment contract with a specific term, your employer may have the right to fire you at any time without even needing any reason. However, this is not to say that your firing couldn’t have been a case of wrongful termination. Continue reading to learn how your employer might have tried to hide your wrongful termination and how an experienced Gloucester County New Jersey wrongful termination lawyer at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C. can help prepare your legal response.
How might my employer try to hide my wrongful termination?
Even with your at-will employer being able to fire you at any time for any reason, boundaries still exist that cannot be crossed. That is, there are clear exceptions to this rule. These exceptions all tie back to the fact that your employer cannot terminate your employment for an unlawful reason. An example of an unlawful reason is if your employer terminates you because of your race or another protected class you are a part of. Or, if your employer terminates you for reporting discrimination or harassment in your workplace (i.e., retaliation).
More often than you may realize, employers try to hide their unlawful reasonings with excuses so they do not get sued. Below are examples of how your employer may have tried to cover this up:
- Your employer may have lied in stating they were eliminating your job position from the company.
- Your employer may have lied in stating there were budget cuts or mass layoffs throughout the company.
- Your employer may have explained that they were “moving in a different direction” or given another vague reason.
- Your employer may have exercised their right to remain silent after you adamantly requested proof of their reasoning.
- Your employer may have cited performance issues but exercised their right to remain silent when you asked for proof.
How can I fight back on this?
You may see right through your employer’s excuses and conclude that they overstepped a boundary in wrongfully terminating you. If this is your case, then you may first want to file a report with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Then, you may want to file a claim with the New Jersey civil court.
As the plaintiff of a wrongful termination lawsuit, you must provide sufficient evidence that shines a light on your employer’s unlawful reasonings. This may come in the form of written and oral statements from your former colleagues. Or, it may entail recorded communication between you and your employer in the days, weeks, or months leading up to your termination.
In a way, the best thing you can do to help yourself is to let one of the skilled New Jersey employment lawyers help you. So please, as soon as you are ready, get in touch with us at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C.
