What can I do if I’m being threatened with termination for sexual harassment?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What can I do if I’m being threatened with termination for sexual harassment?
Today I was pulled into the office with my GM and my supposed local HR person. I was told that someone complained about a conversation that took place last week sometime during either one of my breaks or during my lunch. No specifics were given to me and I have no clue what they are referring to as I tend to keep to a very small group of friends at work and they all got pulled in for the same thing except we were all told different stories.
Asked on August 23, 2011 California
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
You may not have much you can do. If you don't have an employment contract, you are most likely an employee at will (in CA, sometimes an employee even without a contract is found to not be an employee at will; it depends on the circumstances, what is said in any employee handbooks or other documents, etc.) If you are employee at will, you may be fired for any reason, even a mistaken one, at any time. Even if you are not an employee at will, if the employer has reason to think you committed some offense--such as harassing someone else---they likely can fire you. So if you are fired, it may well be that the employer has done nothing wrong. If you are fired, it would be worth consulting with an employment attorney, who can evaluate all the circumstances in detail, but you need to be prepared that you might not have recourse.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.