| Employment Law |
Losing your job, being passed over for promotion, or being otherwise
terminated from your work can be a devastating event in your life. It not only
affects you, but also affects the lives of those who financially depend on you.
Sadly, employers in Kentucky have a broad range of power to hire and fire
their workers for little reason. Kentucky is considered an "at-will employee "
state. This means that employees who are not merit-employees are
considered "at-will" employees, and their bosses can fire them "at will."
In its narrowest sense, the doctrine of at-will employment only speaks to
when an employment contract can be terminated: the contract can be
terminated at-will of either party, i.e., at any time. A separate issue is why
(i.e., for what reasons) the employment contract can be properly terminated.
In short, this means that employers can be liable for improperly terminating
their employees. While employers in Kentucky have discretion, they do not
have absolute discretion.
In the past, employers had unlimited powers to hire and fire whomever they
chose. Throughout our country's history, some progress has been made to
protect the rights of employees. Throughout the Twentieth Century, the U.S.
Supreme Court began to uphold individual freedoms of contract and
invalidated, on due process grounds, statutes that prohibited employers from
terminating employment of workers because the workers were members of a
protected class.
Thus, in Kentucky today, if you are an at-will employee, you cannot be fired
because of the fact that you are a member of a protected class. These
classes include your race, your religion, your political party-affiliation, your
age, your sex, and several other distinct classes.
If you feel that you have been improperly terminated or lost your job due to
improper reasons, contact the attorneys at Pillersdorf, DeRossett & Lane for a
free consultation.
terminated from your work can be a devastating event in your life. It not only
affects you, but also affects the lives of those who financially depend on you.
Sadly, employers in Kentucky have a broad range of power to hire and fire
their workers for little reason. Kentucky is considered an "at-will employee "
state. This means that employees who are not merit-employees are
considered "at-will" employees, and their bosses can fire them "at will."
In its narrowest sense, the doctrine of at-will employment only speaks to
when an employment contract can be terminated: the contract can be
terminated at-will of either party, i.e., at any time. A separate issue is why
(i.e., for what reasons) the employment contract can be properly terminated.
In short, this means that employers can be liable for improperly terminating
their employees. While employers in Kentucky have discretion, they do not
have absolute discretion.
In the past, employers had unlimited powers to hire and fire whomever they
chose. Throughout our country's history, some progress has been made to
protect the rights of employees. Throughout the Twentieth Century, the U.S.
Supreme Court began to uphold individual freedoms of contract and
invalidated, on due process grounds, statutes that prohibited employers from
terminating employment of workers because the workers were members of a
protected class.
Thus, in Kentucky today, if you are an at-will employee, you cannot be fired
because of the fact that you are a member of a protected class. These
classes include your race, your religion, your political party-affiliation, your
age, your sex, and several other distinct classes.
If you feel that you have been improperly terminated or lost your job due to
improper reasons, contact the attorneys at Pillersdorf, DeRossett & Lane for a
free consultation.
New!
New!
124 West Court Street, Prestonsburg, KY 41653
(606) 886-6090 FAX: (606) 886-6148
10 Court Street, Mount Sterling, KY 40353
(606) 886-6090 FAX: (606) 886-6148
Toll Free Number: 1-866-999-0929
This is an advertisement.