Can an employer force an employee out simply because of their salary & Tenure

I'm sorry to learn of your wife's problem. In Georgia, unless one has a contract of employment, the employee is employed "at will." This means that the employer needs no reason to justify a termination, and an employee needs no reason to justify quitting a job. The only restrictions on firing an employee are that the employer may not fore the employee for a reason forbidden under federal law. This would include firing her because of her race, color, creed, religion, gender, national origin, age (if she is over 40), disability (if she is qualified to perform the job and meets the definition of disabled in the ADA, as amended by the ADAAA).  The closest thing that you might be able to claim is that she was terminated because of her age. However, based on what you say in your inquiry you probably cannot prove age discrimination. To prove age discrimination you must meet a higher standard of proof than she would have to meet under the anti race discrimination provisions of Title VII. The Age discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) probides that to prove age discrimination you have to be able to prove that "but for her age" she would not have been chosen for termination. Since your wife was the most highly paid employee, the employer can claim that it is firing her because she costs them the most to employ.  One thing she might do is go to the employer and offer to take a pay cut to the pay and benefit level of the next highest employee so tha she no longer would be the most highly compensated employee.  That way, if the still choose her for termination, she has eliminated their lawful wage-based reason for firing her.   Michael A. Caldwell 404-979-3154