Losing a job without warning is disorienting enough, but discovering the real reason behind it was illegal changes everything about what comes next. New York follows at-will employment, so an employer generally does not need a reason to end a job, but the law draws a firm line when that reason involves discrimination, retaliation, or a broken promise in a contract.
The Stein Law Group represents New York City employees who were let go for reasons the law does not allow. Attorneys at our firm work as a team, blending their skills and experience to closely review the timeline, paperwork, and conversations that led up to a firing, and we help clients understand where they stand from the first consultation.
What Counts as Wrongful Termination in New York?
New York’s at-will rule means most firings are legal, even when they feel unfair or come without explanation. A termination crosses into unlawful territory when it is tied to a protected characteristic, a protected activity, or a violation of an employment agreement. Common grounds for a wrongful termination claim include being fired because of race, gender, age, disability, religion, or another protected trait, being let go shortly after reporting harassment or a safety violation, or losing a job in violation of a written or clearly implied employment contract.
Timing often matters here. A firing that follows closely on the heels of a complaint or a workers’ compensation filing can look very different once the surrounding facts come out, which is part of why the EEOC reported that retaliation was again the most commonly cited claim among the 81,055 charges it received nationwide that year. New York’s own human rights laws extend further than federal protections in several respects, giving city and state employees additional avenues when a firing looks connected to a protected class or activity.
How We Evaluate a Potential Case
Not every disappointing firing rises to the level of a legal claim, and we tell clients that directly rather than letting them spend time chasing something that will not hold up. We start by reviewing the sequence of events, including performance reviews before the termination, any complaints made to human resources, and whether similarly situated coworkers were treated differently. We also look at whether a severance agreement or employee handbook created obligations the employer failed to honor.
This groundwork matters because wrongful termination cases often turn on circumstantial evidence rather than a single smoking-gun document. Emails, text messages, performance history, and witness accounts each add a piece to the picture, and building that picture early gives a client’s case its strongest foundation. We walk clients through what to gather and what to expect before filing any formal claim, so there are no surprises along the way.
Related Workplace Claims We Handle
Wrongful termination rarely stands alone. A firing connected to discrimination, harassment, unpaid wages, or a disability accommodation dispute often overlaps with other employment law claims, and untangling which laws apply can shape the entire case strategy. Sorting through which of the following apply, and whether more than one claim exists, is part of what a full case review is meant to uncover:
- Discrimination: Firing tied to race, sex, age, national origin, or another protected class may support a separate claim alongside wrongful termination.
- Harassment: A termination that follows a harassment complaint, or that functions as retaliation for reporting a hostile work environment, often supports both claims together.
- Unpaid wages: Employers who fire a worker after being asked about unpaid overtime may face wage claims in addition to a wrongful termination case.
- Disability accommodation: Losing a job after requesting a reasonable accommodation, or shortly after disclosing a disability, raises questions under both disability and wrongful termination law.
These categories often intersect, and a single firing can raise more than one of them at once. A client who was denied an accommodation and then let go weeks later, for instance, may have both a disability claim and a retaliation-based wrongful termination claim worth pursuing together.
Choose The Stein Law Group After Your Wrongful Termination?
Adam J. Stein founded the firm after years working at prominent law firms in New York and New Jersey, and he brings that same direct, no-nonsense approach to employment matters. Our attorneys work as a team, blending their experience and using the latest technology to put clients in the strongest possible position going into a case. We do not charge for our services unless we win, and every consultation is free and confidential.
Our attorneys handle employment discrimination, sexual harassment, overtime claims, and disability matters that frequently overlap with wrongful termination cases, giving us a full picture of the workplace laws that may apply to a client’s situation. If you believe you were fired for an unlawful reason, the sooner we can review the facts, the sooner we can tell you where you stand. The Stein Law Group, PLLC has represented employees throughout New York for years. Reach out through our contact page to schedule your free consultation.