Can I be fired after being falsely accused of theft?

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Can I be fired after being falsely accused of theft?

I was accused of stealing a cell phone, questioned for 4 hours by the security and had the police called on me – all with insufficient evidence. After the police were unable to charge me I was suspended and fired a week later.

Asked on July 16, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Arizona

Answers:

M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

Unfortunately, yes you can be fired for this. In fact in an "at will" employment relationship you can be fired for no reason at all. Things would be different if you had a union agreement, employment contract or there was company policy to the contrary; or if this situation arose due to some form of workplace discrimination. The fact is that unless one of the above applies, an employer can set the terms of employment at their own discretion. While seemingly unfair, it is the law.


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