Florida is an at-will employment state, and you have little recourse if your employer fires you for a good reason or no reason at all. However, you can file a wrongful termination lawsuit if your employer fires you for discriminatory or other legally prohibited reasons. Before you pursue remedies available through a lawsuit, you should have a clear understanding of the Tampa wrongful termination case process.
Mitchell Feldman and the team at Feldman Legal Group represent residents of this city and its surrounding communities in lawsuits for employment discrimination actions and related causes. Our wrongful termination attorneys hold employers accountable for their actions and recover back pay, job reinstatement, and other remedies for employees who were fired for reasons prohibited by law.
Courts Encourage Administrative Remedies for Wrongful Termination
U.S. and state law both provide administrative pathways to begin the wrongful termination case process before an aggrieved employee files a lawsuit in a Tampa federal or state court. The specific facts of each wrongful termination situation establish where the filing of an administrative complaint should begin. You may file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for cases that involve discriminatory treatment involving:
The complaint could also be made with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration if you were fired for reporting your employer’s work safety violations. The Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR) also addresses discrimination claims, such as for race, skin color, and other categories.
Although you may be able to bypass these agencies and file your lawsuit directly, a court might dismiss your lawsuit if you did not first file an administrative claim or receive a right-to-sue letter from the appropriate agency. Consult with one of our experienced attorneys to understand how you should proceed in your unique case.
Why Should You Pay Attention to Filing Deadlines?
Any employment termination likely causes significant personal and financial upheaval in your life, and finding new employment often takes precedence over filing a wrongful termination claim. However, relatively short filing deadlines govern the wrongful termination case process in Tampa, which you can easily miss as you focus on other pressing matters.
For example, most EEOC claims must start within 180 to 300 days after the event that gave rise to the claim. You might have up to 12 months for a claim with the FCHR, but even that extra time can elapse quickly when you are actively searching for new work.
If you need an agency right-to-sue letter to start a lawsuit, you need to act very quickly because those letters might require extra time, and the facts of your case might set a two-year deadline for filing your wrongful termination lawsuit. Hiring our skilled lawyers could help you navigate the timing of the case process and could prevent problems that arise from missed deadlines.
Contact Our Tampa Lawyer for Help With the Wrongful Termination Case Process
You may have a chance to recover back pay, damages for pain and emotional trauma, and other compensation through a wrongful employment termination lawsuit. However, you must take prompt action and pay careful attention to the Tampa wrongful termination case process.
Rather than confronting that process on your own, do not hesitate to contact Mitchell Feldman and the Feldman Legal Group as soon as you sense that your firing was for an improper reason. Our lawyers could analyze the facts of your case and start with the most effective agency before suing. Timely action on your part is crucial to recover the damages you deserve. Contact us today.
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