Can an “at will” employees be fired for unjustified reasons?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can an “at will” employees be fired for unjustified reasons?
After an appeal, the unemployment judge stated that I was discharged but not for wilful or negligent misconduct connected with the employment. My employer used and quoted policies from their employee handbook for reason of my termination. Does that mean those stated policies are considered a Contract for my employment? Being “at will”, can I be fired for an ethical breach that I was not proven guilty of?
Asked on August 6, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Arizona
Answers:
Anne Brady / Law Office of Anne Brady
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
You can be fired in Arizona for basically any reason other than an illegal one.  An illegal one would be discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, gender or religion, or as retaliation for complaining about discrimination or for refusing to violate a state law.  So, yes, you can be fired because your boss thinks you violated a company policy and/or committed an ethical breach.  However, you will be eligible to collect unemployment unless whatever you allegedly did was in direct contravension of your employer's  interest.
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.