Legal Question in Employment Law in Georgia

I know that GA is an " at will " state but i had a co-worker last year that was fired for theft and i was told that if i tell them " what was going on" i could stay but if not i would have to go too..I denied any knowledge of that , and i was let go. I thought it was over with after that , but i was called back to the office ( by the way i worked at an apartment complex, where my pay included free rent, utilities and $800 a month pay and me and my co-worker were accused of taking almost $100000 in an 18 month period)and i was told that i had 1 week to pay myrent or vacate my unit, i have 2 children and both were impossible. but i ended up moving. I was then called to the police station and questioned to death, which i had no problem with, and i was asked to do a polygragh , and i agreed. my co-worker passed the polygragh and i was told there was NO NEED to do mine, due to the fact of NO EVIDENCE. I was indicted into the grand jury and was granted a no bail ( Im not sure if that is the correct term) . and this whole process took a year..in that year i lost my home, took my children out a school they loved , had to file bankruptcy,because i was DENIED unemployment , and my marriage about fell apart, all of this because i wouldn't/ couldnt tattle on a coworker. i have been told my MANY people to file a civil suit for wrongful termination/ defamation of character punitive damages/ pain and suffering , and try to get a year of pay and/ or my denied unemployment. I feel like i was done so wrong. I have been a complete mess for a year with depression , and i cant get another job because of it. what can i do?


Asked on 3/23/11, 7:39 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Scott Riddle Law Office of Scott B. Riddle, LLC

Your question is beyond this forum - we only know one side of the story, and only bits and pieces of that. Important parts are also left out. You can certainly see a lawyer to discuss, but keep these things in mind. You are correct - employees can be fired for any or no reason and that includes being involved in theft or even knowing anything about it, not being honest about it or fully cooperating, or combing your hair the wrong way. Most employers want NO drama of any kind. You may have made them go through the eviction process rather than move so quickly, but you apparently voluntarily moved. Your remedy for unemployment was to follow the procedures, then appeal -- not sue a year later. Finally, defamation assumes a false accusation. Generally, people are not arrested w/ no evidence at all, and certainly they are not indicted by a grand jury and denied bail because they did not tattle. These happen for serious crimes. You leave out most of the story, including what happened with the charges, so you can't expect anyone here to tell you you have a case for anything.

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Answered on 3/24/11, 3:22 am


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