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The Lyman Firm | Information & Resources

Wrongful Termination In Violation Of Public 

Section Title

"[W]hile an at-will employee may be terminated for no reason, or for an arbitrary or irrational reason, there can be no right to terminate for an unlawful reason or a purpose that contravenes fundamental public policy. Any other conclusion would sanction lawlessness, which courts by their very nature are bound to oppose.’”

 

Casella v. SouthWest Dealer Services, Inc. (2007) 157 Cal.App.4th 1127, 1138-1139

Section Subtitle

When an employment relationship is at-will, an employer can terminate an employee for any lawful reason.  When an employer terminates an employee for an unlawful reason, the employee may have a legal claim for wrongful termination in violation of public policy.  

“[W]hen an employer’s discharge of an employee violates fundamental principles

of public policy, the discharged employee may maintain a tort action and recover

damages traditionally available in such actions.”  Tameny v. Atlantic Richfield

Co. (1980) 27 Cal.3d 167, 170.  

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