North Carolina Wrongful Termination Legal Questions

North Carolina is an employment-at-will jurisdiction.  You can be fired at any time for any reason.  The only time that you can successfully sue an employer for wrongful firing is if you can show that you were fired due to unlawful discrimination or unlawful retaliation.  It is important to focus on the word "unlawful" because most forms of discrimination and retaliation are lawful.  I do not see anything in your post that suggest the termination was unlawful.  However, you may want to consult with an experienced employment attorney just to be sure.... Read More

North Carolina is an employment-at-will state.  That means an employee can be fired at any time for good reason,  bad reason or no reason at all.  Unless the termination was motivated by unlawful discrimination or unlawful retaliation, she will not have a legal claim related to the termination. ... Read More

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) maintains a directory of its attorneys who are willing to represent employees.  Just go to NELA's website at: nela.org and click the "Find a Lawyer" link in the upper left hand corner.   Choose "North Carolina" from the drop down menu and search.... Read More

It is possible that you could prove defamation although it would not be very easy in these circumstances.  However, it is unlikely that you would be able to convince an attorney to take this on a contingency basis.  That means you would need to be able to finance the litigation and attorneys fees yourself.... Read More

The awards are referred to as "damages" and depend on the claims that you are making.  Most wrongful termination claims allow damages for back pay, i.e. the money you would have made if you had not been fired, upto the time of settlement or trial.  Some of the claims allow you to recover emotional distress damages, punitive damages,  attorneys fees and costs.  Other claims allow the imposition of "liquidated damages" instead of emotional distress or punitive damages.  I only handle employment claims and cannot advise you on the workers compensation matter.... Read More

As a general matter, employment in the United States is on an "at will" basis. That means that your employer may terminate your employment at any time for any reason or no reason at all, subject to certain limitations not applicable to your facts. Your inquiry does not suggest that your employment was terminated based on your membership in a protected group (race, religion, etc.).... Read More

It is a harsh world, and the employer has the law on it side. The rights of the employee are sacrificed for the good of the whole. The law does protect people from employment decisions based on impermissible grounds, such as age, race, sex, etc.  If you were not terminated for age, then there is probably no recourse, unless they made additional promises to get you to relocate.  The law does not force employers to be rational, in hiring or firing.  It just doesn't allow them to discriminate against protected classes.  Employment at will is pretty much the law in most states, with some exceptions, such as for implied contracts or public policy, neither of which appear to be applicable here. ... Read More