Hamden Wrongful Termination Attorneys Fight for Fired Employees
Effective lawyers combat discriminatory dismissals and contract violations
Even though Connecticut is an at-will employment state, in which employers can ordinarily fire or lay off workers without cause, certain dismissals are unlawful. You might be able to bring a wrongful termination claim if your firing violates anti-discrimination laws or your employment contract. If your termination from employment was based on an improper ground, you can count on the employment attorneys of Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. to represent you and assert your rights.
Groups legally protected from discriminatory termination
Federal statutes and Connecticut state law prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of:
- Race, color or national origin
- Sex, including gender identity and pregnancy
- Marital status
- Age
- Disability
- Religion
Connecticut also outlaws discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and, for state employees, the existence of a criminal record. However, some small companies are exempt from these laws.
If you are terminated on discriminatory grounds by a nonexempt employer, you have a cause of action for wrongful discharge and unlawful discrimination. A discriminatory termination can be proven by showing that the plaintiff was part of a protected class and that there was no valid, non-discriminatory reason for the termination, or that others outside the protected class who could have been fired for the same, valid reason were not terminated. If you win, you may recover damages for:
- Lost wages and benefits
- Emotional distress you suffered
- Punitive damages, intended to punish the discriminator
- Your attorney fees
If you believe you are the victim of a discriminatory termination, our employment lawyers will review your case to determine if you are entitled to relief. If so, we vigorously pursue you case against your former employer.
Firm advocates for clients whose termination breached their employment contract
Some jobs are governed by a contract between the employer and employee. This may take the form of a written or oral agreement or may be implied by an employee handbook or a course of conduct. Some employment contracts have provisions that require certain procedures before an employee is terminated or only authorize dismissal under certain conditions. For instance, you may have a claim if:
- The contract requires your employer to give you a written warning of improper conduct and the employer fires you without the prior warning
- The contract requires some form of due process before termination and the employer doesn’t afford you that process
- The contract requires that the employer have good cause to terminate and it fires you without cause
Proving this requires a claimant to present the relevant terms of the contract and show evidence that termination violated that language. Generally, your damages in a contract case are limited to your economic damages, unless the contract provides for greater or different relief. Some contracts have a liquidated damage provision, which specifies how much the wronged party may receive. If you believe you have been fired in violation of your employment contract, we offer honest counsel about the likelihood of a successful result and can aggressively represent you against your former employer.
Contact a skilled Connecticut wrongful termination lawyer
Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. fights for Connecticut clients who have been wrongfully terminated in violation of law or contract. For more information, please call 203-745-0942 or contact us online. We have offices in Hamden and East Haven.