Do You Believe Your Were Fired for Illegal Reasons?
New Jersey it an “at will” employment state. This means your employer can fire you at any time for cause or for no particular reason, and you have no legal recourse. The exception is when a worker is terminated for an unlawful reason, namely whistleblowing on illegal conduct or discrimination against a protected class.
The employment attorneys of Cockerill, Craig & Moore, LLC have successfully sued New Jersey employers for wrongful termination and whistleblower retaliation. We make them pay for their blatantly unlawful conduct and the damage to your career and reputation. If you believe you were illegally terminated, reach out today to tell us your story.
What Constitutes Wrongful Termination?
If you are a member of a protected class, that status cannot be the basis for termination or other forms of workplace discrimination. Under federal legislation and New Jersey laws, you cannot be fired because of your age, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, marital status, or military leave.
You also cannot be fired for exercising your employment rights, such as reporting sexual harassment, filing a workers’ compensation claim or taking FMLA leave (Family and Medical Leave Act).
Employers will typically fabricate a different reason to terminate employment, such as poor job performance or violation of company policies. Our attorneys are skilled at exposing bogus justifications and uncovering evidence of their bias as the underlying (and illegal) reason for termination. We will vigorously pursue your remedies, whether that is reinstatement to your job or monetary compensation for the lost earnings, career damage and emotional distress.
Blowing The Whistle on Whistleblower Retaliation
It takes courage to come forward when your employer is engaged in wrongdoing. Namely, you are putting your job and career at risk by doing so. For this reason, whistleblowers are specifically protected from termination or other retaliation. Yet it often happens anyway. Cockerill, Craig & Moore, LLC will help you seek justice if your employer added insult to injury by letting you go for doing the right thing.
Whistleblower retaliation can take several forms. Perhaps it is transfer to a different office, a demotion, or a suspension without pay. Sometimes it is a summary dismissal, or a termination months later to make it less obvious. Sometimes the retaliation is harassment and a hostile work environment to make your life miserable or force you to quit. All of these are illegal. We help clients document the abuse and file a whistleblower lawsuit to gain some measure of justice for the sacrifices and backlash.
Learn Your Rights and Remedies
A wrongful discharge is hard to prove, but our employment lawyers have the right experience, including our defense work for employers, to give you a fighting chance at holding the wrongdoers accountable. We take cases throughout South Jersey. Call our Woodbury office at 856-440-1231 or contact us by email to arrange a consultation.