CA Labor Law: Effective Discharge Cases

The former employee can establish that constructive discharge occurred only if he can show that our company purposefully created an intolerable or discriminating working environment to quit.

To protect companies for wrongful discharge claims they must do so in a professional and respectful manner. Companies must be sure the employee understand they are being asked to resign and why. For instance, stating the detailed reasons about what the employee did wrong and how long the inappropriate behaviors happened. Insure that the reasons for termination were all in accordance with the supervisory manual made and provided by companies.

Wrongful Termination (a.k.a. Wrongful Dismissal) is a legal phrase that refers to any situation in which a worker’s employment is ended by the employer (terminated) in breach of contractual terms of employment, or due to any of the following: discrimination, retaliation, an employee’s refusal to be involved in illegal activity, or an employer’s

In determining whether a genuine issue of the material fact whether a genuine issue of material fact occurs regarding the reasonableness of the requested accommodation, we first examine whether Turners facial presenting that her proposed accommodation is possible. If appellant has made out a prima facie showing, the load then shifts to prove a favorable defense, that the accommodations requested by Turner are unreasonable or would cause an undue hardship on the employer. In contrast, If Turner has satisfied her initial burden, Turners proposed accommodation seems practical. At this time, Hershey rotations policy is new one which had never been required of employees in Turners position. If Turner's proposed accommodation would permit the new rotation program to endure, even though on a modified basis. Under Turners proposed accommodation, each inspector could continue to rotate on the hourly basis, with Turners, herself, rotating only between line 8 and 9. Hershey has not put up with that because this is not practical or

Constructive discharge is present when a company creates working conditions that are so intolerable that the employee feels they have no option for relief but to resign. Mr. Fleck did not notify his supervisor or any other manager that the new production schedule conflicted with the practice of his religion. If he had, the company would have had an obligation to accommodate his religious holy days and

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission delineates constructive discharge as an event that impels an employee to quit, retire or downgrade their position because of discrimination, retaliation or harassment. The employee may be considered constructively discharged.  If validated, the employee is entitled to the same recourse as if they were involuntarily discharged.  (EEOC)

"Labor Code section 2922, which provides that an employment relationship of unspecified duration may be terminated at the will of either party, establishes a presumption of at-will employment. This presumption may be overcome by evidence of an implied agreement that the employment would continue indefinitely, pending the occurrence of some event such as the employer 's dissatisfaction with the employee 's services or the existence of a cause for termination. (Foley v. Interactive Data Corp. (1988) 47 Cal.3d 654, 680, 254 Cal.Rptr. 211, 765 P.2d 373.) `[Factors apart from consideration and express terms may be used to ascertain the existence and content of an employment agreement, including the personnel policies or practices of the employer, the employee 's longevity of service, actions or communications by the employer reflecting assurances of continued employment, and the practices of the industry in which the employee is engaged. ' [Citation.]" (Soules v. Cadam, Inc. (1991) 2

First, employees who leave voluntarily are less likely to sue over their separation and more likely to sign a release in exchange for severance, assuming that it’s offered. Some disgruntled former employees may claim constructive discharge that they were forced out. But that is an uphill climb for plaintiffs under any statue or theory. If the plaintiff signed a valid release of all claims then the employer can raise that defense in a pretrial motion that should end the case at that early stage.

The law clearly states the Supreme Court has held that binding arbitration is equally applicable to both parties. The law also states that “An employee’s agreement to arbitrate is clear when the employee signs an application form or agreement requiring arbitration, receives something of value from the employer, and is given a copy of the relevant arbitration rules.” CITATION Bag10 \p 92 \l 1033 (Bagley & Savage, 2010, p. 92)There is of course the possibility of recourse for the terminated employee, Mr. Compton, in a lawsuit filed by the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission0. The law states that “The EEOC may file a claim in court on its own behalf against an employer, even if the employee involved had entered into an enforceable

Wrongful dismissal is the term used at common law to denote the situation in which an employee is dismissed by an employer in breach of contract. It occurs most commonly in summery dismissal, namely, without any notice whatsoever. This is justifiable in the case of Laws v London Chronicle (indicator Newspapers) Ltd (1959), stating that “…Whether the conduct complained of is such as to show the servant to have disregarded the essential conditions of the contract of service…”

Probably no. In order to establish a claim for wrongful discharge, Chigurh would have to prove that (1) the employment contract for a specific term does not bar his suit; (2) that he was constructively discharged; and (3) that Moss did not hold good cause in terminating his employment. Here, the “Professional Employment Contract for Specific Term” held an at will provision, making it not a contract for a specific term, which will allow Chigurh to bring suit. Chigurh being moved from executive chef to line chef coupled with a $17,500 pay reduction will likely prove so intolerable that the only reasonable option was to quit, resulting in him being constructively discharged. However, BWO will likely be able to prove Chigurh was terminated for good cause either because employers have more discretion in terminating managerial employees, or for the financial factors associated with not performing the agreement with Wells.

Constructive Discharge occurs when a company has created intolerable conditions for which an employee is to work. Unbearable conditions include but are not limited to discrimination or harassment, and negative

The ability to measure the effectiveness of a combined At-Will Employment doctrine that is accompanied by a strong employee termination policy is important. Measuring the new policies and how they reflect the impact of both federal and common law on the doctrines coverage is very noteworthy. Consequently, organizations can proficiently measure the return on their investment for the cost of adjusting their termination policies pretty easily. When companies minimize turnover by reducing terminations, and in particular decreasing wrongful terminations they are ahead of the game.

Case Example A: Elaine has sued Jerry because Jerry fired her. Elaine was on the job for two months.The job offer letter that Jerry had sent her mentioned the great career opportunities at the company and stated that her annual salary would be $30,000. The company is an employment‐at‐will employer. Elaine was given no reason for the termination. After the termination, Jerry hired a man named Kramer, who had less job experience and education than Elaine, for the position. Elaine has sued to get her job back.

A similar case where an employee claimed unlawful termination in comparable circumstances is Megivern v Glacier Hills Incorporated. In this case the employee, Megivern, alleged that her employer, Glacier Hills Inc. unlawfully terminated her due to her pregnancy. The judgement was ultimately given to Glacier Hills Inc and the termination was sustained. Glacier Hills was able to show the reasoning surrounding Megivern’s termination by providing her performance records. Megivern was a less than desirable employee and the timing of her termination was not due to pregnancy (Megivern v. Glacier Hills