Return to site

Wrongful Termination Law in Illinois

Robert Heist, Attorney

broken image

A practicing attorney for nearly 30 years, Robert Heist serves as the owner and principal of R. Connor & Associates, PC, in Illinois. Robert Heist represents clients as an attorney in a variety of practice areas, including wrongful termination lawsuits and other employment-related matters.

If a discharged Illinois employee is planning to file a wrongful termination lawsuit, he or she must remember that the state follows an at-will employment policy. This means an employer may terminate any employee at any time, with or without notice or reason. There are, however, several exceptions.
An Illinois employer may not terminate an employee if the individual's contract explicitly forbids such an action. The contract may be either implied or specified orally or in writing, although in either case there must be reasonable cause for the employee to suggest that his or her employment has been secure.
State law protects employees from termination due to a protected characteristic, which includes but is not limited to race, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and citizenship status. Many of these characteristics are also included under federal law.
If an employee files an internal complaint regarding discrimination or otherwise exercises his or her legal rights within the workplace, the employer may not terminate the employee for those actions. If an employee feels that his or her termination was unlawful, he or she may seek a settlement in court.