If my company is involved in a civil lawsuit and I’ve been ordered to cooperate with their lawyers or be fired, can they do that?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If my company is involved in a civil lawsuit and I’ve been ordered to cooperate with their lawyers or be fired, can they do that?
Asked on August 12, 2015 under Employment Labor Law, California
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
Unless you have a written employment contract limiting the reasons that you could be terminated--and this is not one of the permitted reasons--then yes, they can do this. Without an employment contract, you are an "employee at will." An employee at will may be terminated at any time, for any reason--including for not cooperating with the company's lawyers. Worse, if you refuse to cooperate, you will be ignoring managment/supervisor's instructions and being insubordinate, which means that you technically could be fired "for cause"--which means that you could potentially not only be fired, but also be denied unemployment compensation or benefits.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.