The Wrongful Termination Exception to At Will Employment Doctrine

LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION ATTORNEYS OF WAKE COUNTY, NC

The employment law attorneys of Raleigh's CLaw Offices of Robert Crawford protect the rights of workers and businesses through civil litigation in the North Carolina courtrooms. Because North Carolina is an at-will employment state, workers often have limited recourse available to them when they are terminated from their positions, even when it is unjustified. There is established case law, however, that protects workers who have been fired from their job in violation of accepted public policy. These cases are rare and the criteria is very narrow, but if you believe that you may have been fired illegally, contact the employment lawyers at Law Offices of Robert Crawford to discuss your case.

Wrongful Termination Exceptions to the Will Employment Principle

In order for a fired employee to successfully file a wrongful termination claim in the state of North Carolina, he or she must be able to demonstrate that the reason for his or her dismissal is counter to public policy. An example of this would be an employee who discovers illegal behavior at a business and is fired when he or she brings it to the management's attention. Something similar to this occurred in Combs v. City Electric Supply Company in Greensboro, NC. In this case, Combs (the plaintiff) noticed that the business was not properly refunding money to customers when a supervisor told him not to send out a batch of monthly statements. A short time after he brought this to the management's attention, City Electric started to write negative performance memos on Combs. Combs's attorneys were able to demonstrate that the dismissal was tied to his reticence at City Electric's misappropriation and won the wrongful termination suit on appeal. It is important to note that this is not an example of whistleblowing, which occurs when an employee reports illegal activity to the authorities. Combs never brought the information to anyone outside of City Electric until after he was fired; he merely lodged an internal complaint.

Employment Rights Attorneys of North Carolina

In most cases, North Carolina's at-will employee doctrine favors the employer, but if you believe that you have been fired for making an honest decision that was supported by public policy, you may have grounds for a wrongful termination lawsuit. Contact the Raleigh, NC law office of Law Offices of Robert Crawford, Attorneys at Law to schedule an initial consultation. Our number is 919-296-8508.