While it is becoming more rare, some California workers have been with their same companies for many years, perhaps decades. A woman who was a city employee for more than 30 years was suddenly fired from her job. She has since filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against her former employers.
The 57-year-old woman says she believes the only reason she was fired was that she refused to engage in illegal activities in the workplace. She said the termination occurred after she reported those activities to the city attorney. The former long-term employee also stated that she was discriminated against because of her age and because she is a woman.
A former mayor and several council members are listed as defendants in the case. In her claim, the woman states that the co-defendants directed staff members to grant privileges to certain building developers over others. She also claimed the former mayor repeatedly instructed to fire certain employees in violation of a city charter.
An attorney acting on the former city worker’s behalf said there is case law in existence that states that a tenured employee must be given just cause for termination, whether or not he or she was hired at-will. The attorney said this was not done in his client’s case; therefore, it is evidence of wrongful termination. Retaining a California attorney who is well-versed in employment law is a wise move to make when dealing with similar situations. He or she can also help determine what requests to make of the court regarding types of restitution.
