Legal Question in Employment Law in California

I'm about to be fired for taking a 1k loss

After balancing my teller drawer I discovered I was 1000 short. I did all I possibly could to locate the outage and was unable to. I called my boss who instructed me to post it and it will be looked at. The next two days I spent away from the branch training while my manager and hr scrambled to find it. The third day I was placed on administrative leave and here I am. In a couple of hours I find out my fate. I am over 6 months pregnant and have worked as a branch operations manager for over a yr and a half. I am an ethical employee and I would never take a penny from my company. I am afraid that they will let me go today and I will not have a way to defend myself. I am the only one in my family working, I got no money to hire a lawyer and just need some advice. Cameras were pulled and admin looked at my work, from what I was told. I am afraid of being accused of taking this money, and I would have never done such a thing. Please help me.


Asked on 12/17/12, 6:19 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Terry A. Nelson Nelson & Lawless

You don't need to hire an attorney now, because no one can 'help' you avoid being fired. That is almost a certainty with the facts you describe. The bank has 'cause' to fire you, either for negligence and mistake in losing track of the money, or for stealing it is they can show that. The banking industry rules essentially demand you be fired in such situations

If they conclude you stole the money, and you are charged with a crime, you will definitely need to hire an attorney then. When questioned, arrested or charged with any crime, a little free advice: exercise the 5th Amendment right to SHUT UP and do NOT talk to police or anyone about the case except with and through an attorney.

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Answered on 12/17/12, 12:59 pm


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