There are many circumstances surrounding a person’s firing that can amount to wrongful termination. While private employers have the right to fire employees for various reasons, they must do so within the confines of the law.
#1: Disability Discrimination
The West Virginia Human Rights Act and Title VII protects employees from being fired or discriminated against based upon a disability. These laws also protect employees from employers who fail to accommodate disabilities in the workplace. This means that if you have a disability and you believe your employer is targeting you because of your disability, your employer is violating the law. Alternatively, if you have requested an accommodation and your employer fails to provide the accommodation, your employer may be violating the law. Unfortunately, disability discrimination occurs more frequently in the workplace than it should, which is why you should consult with an experienced lawyer to discuss the details of your case.
#2: Age Discrimination
The West Virginia Human Rights Act and Title VII protects employees from being fired or discriminated against based upon their age. Age discrimination takes on many forms such as, offensive comments, reduction in pay, demotion in position, retaliation, and termination. The common example is when an employer replaces an older worker with a substantially younger worker to either save money or reduce its medical insurance premiums. If you believe you have experienced age discrimination in the workplace, you should consult with an experienced lawyer to discuss the details of your case.
#3: Patient Safety Retaliation
The West Virginia Patient Safety Act protects Healthcare workers from retaliation and discrimination for reporting patient safety concerns. We trust that our loved ones will be kept safe and treated with dignity while they are in Health Care facilities such as nursing homes, hospitals, or home health care. Health Care workers should not fear retaliation for speaking up when they witness patient abuse. If you have reported patient safety concerns and have experienced retaliation in the workplace either by being fired, reduction in pay, demotion, or subjected to a hostile work environment, you should consult with an experienced lawyer to discuss the details of your case.
#4: Whistleblower Actions
West Virginia protects public and private workers for reporting illegal conduct in the workplace. An employee should not fear retaliation for standing up for what is right. Illegal conduct may include, safety violations, violations of the West Virginia Human Rights Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Governmental waste, Governmental Fraud, or retaliation for testifying for a legal matter.
Consult with Our Legal Team Today
At Rod Smith Law PLLC, we are committed to using our 40+ years of combined experience to help workers throughout West Virginia. If you want to take legal action against your employer because you believe you were wrongfully fired, you need to get in touch with our legal team to discuss all of your options under the law.
Call us today at (304) 406-7076 to request your free consultation with one of our attorneys.