Companies in New York may fire people for the wrong reasons, often times for illegal reasons. The number one basis for a wrongful termination lawsuit is discrimination. If they fired you because of your age, religion, disability, race, gender, sexual orientation, your marital status or your HIV status, that’s wrongful termination. Keep in mind that your company is probably not going to say they are firing you because they found out that you’re a lesbian or a Muslim. But if you can show that based on circumstances you were treated differently because of your membership in a protected class, you may have a very good case to bring.
According to the Balancecareers, your employer may fire you because you were a whistleblower. If you got fired because the company was engaged in misconduct and you spoke out against it, that’s wrongful termination. Your employer may fire you in breach of an implied contract. If you took the job or stayed with the company because they lead you to believe that you had a long term future there and then they turned around and fired you, that may be wrongful termination.
The company may also fire you because you resisted sexual harassment, which may amount to wrongful termination. Additionally, you may lose your job because you asserted a right. Maybe it was your right to take sick leave, maternity leave or to get paid overtime. If they fired you for exercising your legal rights, that’s wrongful termination. You may be able to get you compensation for lost wages, lost opportunities, emotional distress and even punitive damages.
