I got fired for being married

[smalls0836]

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

I just recently got married. I went into work to tell my bos that I was married and to see if i needed to refill out my paperwork being that i need to change my marital status on these papers. She told me she no longer wanted me working there. I asked her why and she said because i had like to her two days earlier about being married. See the reason why is because my mother hadn't known at the time and I didn't want her to find out through the grapevine. I wanted to tell her when I was ready. I know that if I had told her right then one of the ladys sitting there would have told my mother, being one of her friends. So I went in when she wasn't there to tell my boss. She later on went to say that I was also let go for not introducing my husband to her when i had been in there.
I don't feel that either of these reasons had anything to do with my job and is unfair to fire me for. I don't really know where to go from here.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[cbg]

You were not fired for being married. You were fired for lying to your boss.

It may not be fair, but it is legal.

 

[smalls0836]

but the question had nothing to do with my job and she had not paid me once while i was married with my paperwork saying single.
so my boss wasn't involved in my personal life. now im going to be fired. makes no sense.

 

[Isis1]

but the question had nothing to do with my job and she had not paid me once while i was married with my paperwork saying single.
so my boss wasn't involved in my personal life. now im going to be fired. makes no sense.

boss doesn't want an employee that lies about the small things. perfectly legal.

 

[cbg]

It doesn't matter whether it makes any sense or not. It's still legal.

 

[xylene]

You were not fired for being married. You were fired for lying to your boss.

It may not be fair, but it is legal.

That is dangerous ground.
The poster has no obligation to disclose their marital status.

Thought experiment-

You fired me for lying about having a black ancestor... You were fired for lying... Having a black ancestor had nothing to do with it... even though you had not obligation to disclose it...

The poster should contact the Ohio Civil Rights Commission at

(888) 278-7101

to see if what happened rises to the level of actionable discrimination.

The economy is tight in Ohio and jobs are scarce - there is no reason to just suck it up

 

[cbg]

I'm not saying that the poster is obligated to disclose her marital status, which, BTW, is not a protected characteristic under either Federal or Ohio law.

However, if the employer takes exception to being told, no, I'm not married, when the true answer is, yes, I got married last week (or whenever), I don't see where it's discriminatory for her to take action about it. Overreaction, yes. I think the employer went overboard.

But lying to the employer is not protected. After all, I doubt that the employer just up and asked her out of the blue, and by coincidence it just happened to be immediately following a marriage? SOMETHING caused the employer to ask. And she has the right to expect a truthful answer.

If the employee really had a problem with "disclosing her marital status" and she had said, "Sorry, but I don't think that's business related", that would be one thing. Instead, she told a lie. And she got fired for it. And that's legal.

 

[commentator]

That said, she probably can get fired, and sign up and be approved for her unemployment insurance. Because although lying to the employer about a personal issue may be considered misconduct by the employer, it probably doesn't rise to the level of misconduct for unemployment purposes. In any case, the newlywed should file for benefits.

As we've so often said, the employer can fire for just about any reason. Whether a person will have an EEOC case..well, married liars are not a protected class, and neither is marital status.