Skip to content Skip to footer

Table of contents

Employment litigation — HFD

It is uncommon for an employee to file a lawsuit against their employer if they:

  • have been properly selected
  • have been effectively trained
  • trust management
  • are well informed
  • feel that they will be listened to.

Therefore, the best way to avoid a lawsuit is to create a productive employee relations climate in which sound management practices occur every day. This chapter briefly explains many of the theories under which employers and employees sue each other.

Wrongful discharge

In a wrongful discharge suit, an employee claims that he or she was terminated for some wrongful purpose. Most employees are employed “at-will,” which means that, generally, they can be discharged for a good reason, bad reason or no reason as long as it is not for an illegal reason. Illegal reasons include sex, race, religion or other protected category, as defined by federal, state or local law and may include retaliation and violations of public policy.

The public policy exception to the at-will employment doctrine “provides that an at-will employee who has been discharged by an employer in violation of a clear mandate of public...


Please call us at (312) 960-9400 if this is an error or if you have any questions.