Wrongful Termination in Houston
There are many unlawful reasons for losing a job, including getting fired in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws, labor laws, or as a form of retaliation. Wrongful termination claims are filed when an employer has fired or laid off an employee for an illegal reason. With such a claim, the former employee can collect compensation for punitive damages and lost wages.
If you need advice on an employment law issue, including wrongful termination, you should speak with a Houston employment lawyer. Houston employment lawyers can assess your legal issue and can tell you how to go about filing a wrongful termination claim. You can find a local lawyer by viewing FindLaw's directory of Houston employment lawyers.
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Through workers' compensation, an employee is often entitled to receive certain benefits when he or she suffers from an occupational disease or accidental personal injury arising out of and in the course of employment. FindLaw states that it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee for filing a workers' compensation claim. In Texas, an employer is also prohibited from telling an employee not to file a workers' compensation claim. Any employee that is terminated or retaliated against should contact a Houston employment lawyer to learn more information on filing a lawsuit.
A former employee of the discount retailer Family Dollar Stores filed a lawsuit against the company in the Tyler Division of the Eastern District of Texas after being fired from her position as an assistant store manager. According to the Southeast Texas Record, Frances Pinson was promoted to an assistant manager after working as a cashier. After the promotion, she informed her manager that she suffered from asthma but could still perform the essential functions of her job.
An employee at Landtel Communications and Rignet claims that he was wrongfully
terminated from his position as a field technician after he filed for
workers compensation benefits, according to the Southeast Texas Record. The
employee also claims the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act for
failing to pay overtime rates for hours worked in excess of forty hours in a
given week.
An interesting U.S. Supreme Court case will soon determine if a company can retaliate against an employee's friends, relatives, family, or spouse after an employee files a discrimination claim. The law currently does not allow for workplace retaliation against people who file discrimination claims, but does not say anything about retaliating against an employee's friend in the workplace. However, Associated Press does state that judges have ruled that the law does not allow people who haven't complained of discrimination to file a retaliation suit.