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Have You Been Wrongfully Terminated?

There is no one law of wrongful discharge. An employment termination or “firing” that violates one of the many legal prohibitions stipulated in state and federal employment law is what people generally refer to as wrongful discharge or wrongful termination. The employment lawyers at NachtLaw have years of experience helping Michigan employees fight back against all kinds of wrongful terminations and illegal firings. The legal definition of “wrongful termination/discharge” has a narrower scope than its causal usage. Wrongful discharge in the legal sense is a general term that covers a variety of illegal job terminations in violation of Michigan state law and federal law. Illegal terminations in Michigan generally fall into one of several broad categories, and protect workers who are:

  • Terminated in violation of clear Michigan public policy
  • Fired for raising the civil rights violations under Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
  • Let go from work in breach of employment contract under the Michigan contract law
  • Breach of due process rights for government employees
  • Job termination in retaliation for requesting disability accommodations
  • Wrongfully terminated in retaliation for investigating or raising claims of Medicare fraud or other government fraud
  • Discrimination based on age, race, sex, disability, religion and/or national origin
  • Fired Michigan whistleblowers for reporting a crime to police or other government agency

Examples of violations of public policy include cases where the employer fires her employee for filing a workers’ compensation claim. The most common claims of breach of contract are cases where the employee is in a union and covered under a collective bargaining agreement between the union and the employer. Implied contracts are agreements reached between you and your employer. This may include such agreements as verbal statements made by your employer on such things as promotion or how employees are to be treated. Various federal and state laws prohibit employers from firing their employees based on her age, race, sex, disability, religion and/or national origin. Under most federal anti-discrimination law, it is necessary to file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Our lawyers don’t just send clients out the door and tell them to make a report. We work with clients to protect their job while fighting back against workplace discrimination. And we’re also here to give employees legal guidance when they need to do the right thing by reporting workplace misconduct or government fraud. When required, we represent our clients throughout the EEOC process, so your rights are protected and you receive legal representation even before the lawsuit gets filed. If you think you’ve been wrongfully discharged from your position, you may have a legal claim that should be discussed with an experienced and qualified wrongful discharge attorney. The employment lawyers at NachtLaw stand ready to put their years of experience and the strength of a full-scale employment law firm to work for you. Our lawyers fight to get back everything a client has lost, from backpay and reinstatement to compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and the emotional distress that usually results from a wrongful termination. If you need to protect yourself from wrongful termination at your current job, or to seek legal advice on your right to file an employment lawsuit against your former employer, the first step is to schedule a consultation with the employment attorneys at NachtLaw. Contact us online or over the phone for a private consultation on how the law can protect your career. From principal offices in downtown Ann Arbor, the attorneys of NachtLaw serve employees and communities throughout Michigan. You can reach us by phone by calling 866-965-2488.