Legal Question in Employment Law in Tennessee
In the state of TN a person is hired based on his character and strong family ethics based on Christian principles(even of the same faith and congregation of church). The principles were extremely important because he had no experience in the field for which he was hired .He was specifically asked if his marriage was strong due to some over night travel of the job. In one year time he has now abandoned his great character by leaving his wife and 2 children for another woman severely damaging his character and relationship to the person who hired him. The boss and employee work in a very small 3 person office and the strained relationship by broken character is making things very difficult due to the broken trust by the employee. Also of note is the fact the employee has performed his job task well to this date. Can he be terminated for cause of broken trust and character. When asked why he changed his family values he replied he hadn't been happy in his marriage for 10 years which was in contrast to his initial interview for the job. Where does the employee stand. Can he terminate for this cause without legal action being brought against him? Thank you!
1 Answer from Attorneys
It is difficult to tell from the phrasing from the question whether you are the employee or the employer. As a general rule, it is legal to fire an employee for not being honest in the initial interview. However, there are some exceptions to this and you should probably sit down with an attorney to discuss your situation in detail.