Termination in an At Will state

[azwildcat]

I was terminated this morning from my now previous employer without reason, or should I say, I believe it was without reason. I understand that in an at will state they may terminate with or without reason but I read that terminations are easier to defend when they are justified by legitimate business reasons such as problems, misconduct, reorganization resulting in elimination of employees position, or financial considerations.

If I was just told, "today is your last day, I know you are very smart and can find a new job in no time" "Sorry but we noticed your cancellation rates were high, please give us your key," and I was walked out. Do I have the right to find out exactly why I was terminated. They didnt provide me with any proof of what they said was accurate or true, I was never told that my performance was poor or that I had to improve in any specific area. In fact I received 2 raises in an 18 month period because my performance has been good. This was a complete surprise to me and my coworkers. On top of this it turns out that my replacement was already hired. I met and exceeded all of their expectations and was completely stunned by what happened. The company that terminated me doubled in size since I started working there, was not affected financially by the economy so no downsizing occurred. Is there anything I can do at this point to determine the reason I was terminated or perhaps to pursue a law suit of some sort?

Thanks for your time and opinions

 

[cbg]

Nothing that you have posted suggests that you have a viable lawsuit. The law does not require that you be given a reason for your termination, and as you yourself point out, in an at-will state (which is every state except Montana and even including Montana in some situations) you can be termed for a good reason, a bad reason or no reason; just not an illegal reason.

As for why, when you apply for unemployment (which you should do immediately) IF the employer intends to contest, they will have to provide the UI office with a valid and supportable reason for your termination. (If they do not intend to contest, they do not have to provide the UI office with anything.) You will, in the former situation, eventually be told what reason they gave the UI office. However, their failure to do so does not make the termination itself illegal; nor does your prevailing in an unemployment claim if they do contest.

I do not recall Arizona as being one of the few states where a service letter (which requires, among other things, the reason for termination) is required upon request, but I'm not where I can check for sure. If no one else knows, I will check it for you tomorrow.

 

[Patricia_Young]

Nope, Arizona is not one of those states.