The Law Firm of Morgan Rooks, PC exclusively represents employees in employment-related disputes. New Jersey and Pennsylvania are “at will” employment states — which means that an employer can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without a reason. However, an employee cannot be terminated for an illegal reason. An illegal reason exists when an employee's termination is contra
ry to an established public policy or contrary to a statute. For example, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) and Title VII prohibit terminations that are based on an employee's protected traits, such as a disability, skin color, race, sex, or pregnancy status, among other protected traits. Laws like the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) protects an employee's right to complain about an unsafe workplace. In addition, CEPA protects an employees right to complain about an employer's violations of statutes and regulations. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the New Jersey Wage & Hour Law (NJWHL) protect an employee's right to complaint about the improper payment of wages and denial of overtime compensation. The bottom line is, an employer cannot legally terminate an employee for exercising protected rights or making protected complaints. Even though employment is generally "at-will," an employer's violation of certain statutes creates an exception to an at-will termination. Employers and their insurance carriers have attorneys on their side who are paid to extinguish the wrongful termination claims of employees. When you need someone in your corner, contact the attorneys at the Law Firm of Morgan Rooks PC. We represent employees across a full spectrum of employment matters, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, discrimination based on age, sex, religion, race, national origin, disability, pregnancy, and sexual orientation; retaliatory terminations; FMLA violations, and overtime violations. If you have been wrongfully terminated or experienced retaliation in the workplace, please contact the Law Firm of Morgan Rooks, PC.
