Idaho is an at-will employment state. Therefore, either the employer or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without notice. However, an employer cannot dismiss an employee for an illegal reason.
If you believe you were fired for any of the below-discussed reasons, you may have been wrongfully terminated:
Discrmination
If your employer dismissed you because of your age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability status, you may have been unlawfully fired.
Such a case can be direct, for instance, when your employer repeatedly states that the company needs younger people and you are suddenly fired, or it happens shortly after you inform them that you are pregnant. Or it can be indirect, for instance, you suddenly start receiving unexplained poor performance reviews, or your responsibilities are reduced gradually and you are eventually fired.
You also need to look for patterns. For example, if you and your colleagues commit a minor infraction, but only those who share a certain identity attribute are dismissed, while others are given a warning, you should be concerned.
Retaliation
If you are dismissed after filing a discriminatory complaint, reporting an illegal activity or requesting a reasonable accommodation, the dismissal might have been unlawful.
This can also be the case if you are fired after refusing to participate in an illegal activity, such as falsifying documents. Or when you refuse to participate in harassment, like making discriminatory jokes targeting colleagues of a particular identity attribute.
Breach of contract
Despite the at-will employment doctrine, if there is a contract, an employer must follow its terms regarding termination. If they breach the contract when dismissing you, your case can be considered wrongful termination.
It’s not uncommon for an employer to terminate an employee unlawfully. If this happens to you, get as much information as possible to hold them accountable.