Legal Question in Employment Law in Georgia

Termination without Cause vs. with Cause?

I was a highly compensated female employee who was verbally terminated for ''this isn't working out as I hoped'' with no prior warning or documentation. I am ''at will'' and signed an agreement that incl 3 mos. severance based on signing a release. My mgr told me this was ''no fault of mine'' and I am very competent. I lead sales and we've surpassed 07 goals. I have documented these results. At the time of firing, I was already replaced by a male. I was the only female in mgmt and struggled with negative stereotypes about working women and family caregivers. Since I worked from home and travelled 70%, I could not combat these misperceptions. I was recruited from a top company. I consulted an attorney who believes there'd be ''summary judgment'' for EEOC gender discrimination. I have not signed the release. I sent a letter asking for my bonus and raised the EEOC issues. I just got a response from HR stating the termination was ''with cause'' and due to negligence or misconduct. Never was this mentioned or documented! (It's untrue.) Should I cave in, take the severance, sign away my rights, forget the bonus or pay more to defend? I'm single Mom of 3 & need $ while finding work. Any advice?


Asked on 9/22/07, 4:56 pm

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

Re: Termination without Cause vs. with Cause?

If a lawyer reviewed all details of your situation, it is better than a guess based on a paragraph posted here. If you need a second opinion, many plaintiffs employment lawyers (choose one that primarily handles these cases) offer a free consultation. I will add that summary judgment would be rare in a he said/she said case, where facts are in dispute.

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Answered on 9/22/07, 5:39 pm


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