Legal Question in Employment Law in Missouri
Terminiation without cause
I was just terminated from a position I held for a year and a half because my boss found out I was seeking other employment. Performance wasn't the issue, he took great pains to make that clear. (Which is good, because my performance reviews were good, I've never received either a verbal or written warning. I received a 4% raise last year and a $12,000 bonus. Performance wasn't the issue) He told me that he was trying to build a strong team and that he couldn't build a strong team around people who were planning on leaving at the first opportunity. I got no severance package--nada. (I was the Controller for a fairly large company.) Am I out of luck?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Terminiation without cause
Unfortunately, you are almost certainly out of luck. Missouri is an "at will" employment state which means, absent an employment agreement, your employment is completely at the will of the employer and may be terminated at anytime for any (lawful) reason or for no reason at all. Any unjust treatment is not relevant, and "job-searching" is not a statutorily protected activity.
You said, however, that you received no warnings. If your previous employer has a written policy that sets forth the procedure that will be followed before an employee may be terminated, then you may be entitled to file a grievance or an appeal with the employer.
(This answer is general and makes no guarantee of the accuracy of the statements made as applied to your particular situation.)
Related Questions & Answers
Looking for something else?
10,200 active attorneys ready to answer your legal questions today.
Featured Attorneys
Earn additional revenue and grow your business.
