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can you be fired because your employer doesn't like that you sued a co-worker?

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sduves

Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

i sued a co-workers, legitimately, i believe, and capital management division called me up. i had written some e-mails to a co-worker in confidence to the co-workers, who then forwarded it to employee relations, which told me that's not appropriate behavior toward a co-worker. they know nothing about the lawsuit or why i'm even sueing this person, i believe it to be very legitimate but the co-worker is upset that i sued her, can they make a judgment without even knowing lawsuit and fire me?
 


justalayman

Senior Member
simple answer (and the only reason I wrote that is because a post has to contain a minimum amount of letters and yes is not enough letters0);

yes
 
Are you saying that you used company equipment, company paid-for internet access, to send these emails on company time, to the person that you sued?

Think about this. I don't think there's anything else you should be posting here.
 

sduves

Member
Are you saying that you used company equipment, company paid-for internet access, to send these emails on company time, to the person that you sued?

Think about this. I don't think there's anything else you should be posting here.
No, the email was from my personal gmail account which I've already told her was confidential, it was on my own time using my own internet... the issue itself is also a personal matter.
 

sduves

Member
My next question has to be, did you send these emails to his/her personal email account, or company email account?
Well, his company account had been disabled at the time I wrote them (internship had ended, and now we are starting full time jobs and this person is trying to get me fired!). I did address the email to both personal and company email but the one to the company email bounced back. She claimed I threatened to report her to the police. She had had the company email and bulletin to try to rent an apartment that didn't belong to her, I paid her and didn't get it so I wanted my money back, she didn't return the money and it's why I threatened to report her, but she only forwards these emails where I threatened her (and not the rest of the story!) and now HR thinks I'm the bad guy and I've done something terribly wrong.

My lawsuit against her I believe is legitimate, it was her own behavior that led me to even sue her, and isn't this inappropriate behavior toward her co-worker as well?
 
While you might have a legitimate claim against her for returning your money, you had no business whatsoever in sending emails to her, or discussing this on company property, on company time, or through company provided anything.

You should have kept all of this outside of the company, as most seem to frown on bringing their personal problems to work with them, even if the initial announcement was posted on company property.

Most states are an At-Will work state, meaning they can fire you for no reason at all, or even of they don't like the color of shirt you happen to be wearing that day.

You can contact your state's Dept. of Labor, but I highly doubt this is going to fall back in your favor.
 

sduves

Member
Thanks for your reply. But I did have a right to send emails to her - I was trying to retrieve my money. It was HER who used the company's bulletin board to post a "scam" (it turned out later it was more of a misunderstanding than an intended scam), I paid her, didn't get my item, and I threatened to report her to the police because I was trying to get my money back. But these emails I sent were on my own time, in my own room, and on my own computer and internet access. It was, a personal dispute and the only reason she's bringing it up to work is to try to get me fired!
 
You might have had the right to send her emails, you had the right to sue her to recoup your money. Here's the part you seem to be skipping past. You didn't have the right to involve any of this in your employment setting, EVEN IF the original announcement was posted AT WORK.

Now let me explain why.

The announcement didn't cause a disruption in the normal everyday function of employment. Your actions, seeking reimbursement and the suit did.

Now do you have a clearer understanding? While she may have been hell-bent in getting you out of there so she didn't have to deal with you anymore, all you did was give her the ammo she needed.
 

sduves

Member
You might have had the right to send her emails, you had the right to sue her to recoup your money. Here's the part you seem to be skipping past. You didn't have the right to involve any of this in your employment setting, EVEN IF the original announcement was posted AT WORK.

Now let me explain why.

The announcement didn't cause a disruption in the normal everyday function of employment. Your actions, seeking reimbursement and the suit did.

Now do you have a clearer understanding? While she may have been hell-bent in getting you out of there so she didn't have to deal with you anymore, all you did was give her the ammo she needed.
I didn't involve the work though, nothing in the suit really is related to work, except that fact that I just sued someone who happened to be my coworker. So that means you aren't allowed to sue co-workers? I do see what you mean that something that gets work involved can be grounds for firing, except that this means you can't sue a co-worker even if they do something very wrong to you
 
You've already demonstrated that your mind is completely closed on the issue that you might have taken steps that you weren't supposed to, so don't look too much for anyone else from here to offer anything more. I know that I don't have all night to waste on trying to make you see where you might have erred.
 

sduves

Member
You've already demonstrated that your mind is completely closed on the issue that you might have taken steps that you weren't supposed to, so don't look too much for anyone else from here to offer anything more. I know that I don't have all night to waste on trying to make you see where you might have erred.
Actually your responses did help me see what I might have done that I shouldn't have and why they are concerned, I appreciate the responses, thank you for replying
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
It doesn't actually matter if the lawsuit never involved the company or anything that took place on company time and didn't touch any company resources. They can still fire you for it, because no law prevents them from doing so.
 

eerelations

Senior Member
I agree with emcst12 - whether or not the company's systems or equipment or system was used is moot. The answer to the question "can a company legally fire an employee for suing a coworker" is yes - everything else discussed in this thread is peripheral.
 

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