Legal Question in Employment Law in Florida

I was recently employed at a local restaurant as an assistant manager. The store was having unexplained cash shortages. One night we were $160 short and all members of management were written up and told that anymore unexplained shortages would result in termination for the person in charge at the time of the shortage.

A week later I was in charge and we came up $180 short. I was told by the owner of the business that I would be given unpaid time off until an investigation was completed to attempt to explain the shortage and the future of my employment would be based on the results of the investigation. Two days later I received a call from my general manager stating that the owner had decided to terminate me without doing an investigation.

How can I be fired for "unexplained" cash shortage when there was no attempt made to explain it? Not to mention that no attempts were ever made to explain any previous shortages either.

I have made multiple attempts to contact the owner by phone and email. I have gotten no response from him at all. Do I have grounds for wrongful termination suit and possibly defamation of character (since I'm sure everyone there now thinks I'm a thief)?


Asked on 1/14/10, 9:12 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Alan Wagner Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore P.A.

Unless you have a contract that would prohibit this, the owner can decide to let you go for any reason he wishes (except federally protected reasons for age, sex, religion).

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Answered on 1/19/10, 9:58 am


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