In the not-so-distant past, employees in Minnesota could be fired for any reason the employer saw fit. Today, there are laws governing how and why an employee is fired. For example, if an employer decided to fire one of his or her workers because that employee became pregnant, that would qualify for wrongful termination and the employee could have legal recourse against her employer. A few other reasons for wrongful termination include taking an unpaid leave for a personal or family illness, service in the military or an adoption.
A man who worked as a volunteer reserve city officer says that he was wrongfully terminated at the end of last month. He claims that he was fired after the police chief meddled in his personal life. He feels that the police chief crossed the line into wrongful behavior and also says that he was not paid the wages he was owed. The mayor of the city and the city council both supported the termination.
The man is suing the city for $1.5 million in damages. He reports that there has been a high number of turnover in police employees in the last five years, saying that seven have come and gone. He wants an investigation to be done on the police department in order for citizens to find out what is going on.
Hopefully his lawsuit will help this man receive a sense of justice for his termination. He would be well advised to seek out an attorney who is experienced in employee rights litigation in order to help him with his case.
Source: KLEWTV, “Tort claim filed against City of Asotin for wrongful termination,” Veronica Miracle, Jan. 4, 2014