Georgia is an at-will employment state, which means as long as you don’t have a contract in place, you can leave your job whenever you want. In turn, your employer has the right to terminate your position at any time and without any notice as long as that reason is not unlawful. Unfortunately, here in Cobb County, workers often lose their jobs for reasons that are illegal and unjust.
If you are a worker in Cobb County and feel you have lost your job for reasons that are discriminatory or otherwise unlawful, consult the employment attorneys at Barrett & Farahany, LLP, LLP. We can help you determine if your termination is in violation of federal or state law and take the next steps needed to get your job back or seek damages if appropriate.
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), wrongful termination claims have increased 260 percent over the past 20 years, meaning that workers in Cobb County remain at risk of losing their jobs because of discrimination, retaliation or other illegal reasons.
There are a number of reasons an employer terminates an employee that may be illegal under federal law:
- Discrimination – In 2012, the EEOC received 7,400 claims of race, sex, age, disability, and religious discrimination from workers in Georgia. For many, they have faced harassment and hostile workplaces because of others’ biases. Others have lost their jobs simply because of a physical characteristic, even though laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act are in place to protect their rights.
- Retaliation – Last year in Georgia, 2,000 claims of retaliation were filed with the EEOC against employers in the state. Employees may experience unlawful retaliation for filing a claim with the EEOC, participating in another employee’s discrimination case, making an internal complaint of discrimination to the employer, or for blowing the whistle on illegal practices in the organization.
The Cobb County wrongful termination lawyers at Barrett & Farahany, LLP take the rights of Georgia employees to heart and have successfully fought on behalf of workers in Cobb County. To learn if your termination is considered illegal under federal law and to protect your career today and in the future, contact us at (404) 238-7299.
