In Los Angeles, when a person loses his or her job, it is important that there be a viable reason for it. There are times when an employee is not fulfilling his or her end of the agreement to work and therefore the dismissal is justified. However, there are also times when an employee is subjected to wrongful termination and loses the job for reasons apart from performance. This is when it is imperative to have legal help to go through the case, determine how and why the firing happened, and take appropriate steps to be compensated for the wrong that was done.
A woman who worked as an aide to a member of the City Council has filed a lawsuit against the city claiming to have been subjected to a retaliatory discharge for being a witness in an investigation that a colleague brought alleging harassment and other issues. The woman moved forward with the case and seeks to be compensated for the retaliation, wrongful discharge and her employer's failure to prevent her from being retaliated against. The woman was working for the Councilman from March of 2011 until January of 2016 when she was fired.
She says that she provided statements in the probe to determine whether the man who alleged harassment had basis for his claims. She also made complaints about the same issues including harassment and taking part in an election campaign, also known as electioneering. The lawsuit says that her allegations were not taken seriously and there was an attempt to hide them. The woman and the man who initially complained about the harassment were fired with the decision obscured by the idea that there was a restructuring in the office. The woman worked as many as 80 hours in a week before she was dismissed. The man also filed a lawsuit that was settled before trial.
Since various portions of employment cases are often based on one person's word against another, it is wise to have legal help in preparing for a case to have all the evidence organized. With a case such as this in which there are numerous allegations of illegal behaviors culminating in what is alleged to be a wrongful dismissal, the first call that should be made is to an attorney who is widely experienced in cases of harassment, retaliation and helping those who have been wrongly terminated.
Source: laindependent.com, "Former City Council aide sues city over termination," Don Wanlass, April 8, 2016
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