Wrongful Termination: "Totally Horrendous"

Granby, COIt is one thing to be fired from your job because you have done something wrong or violated a company rule. It is a completely different matter to be a victim of wrongful termination because someone you work for has it out for you. Sadly, there are many good workers who find themselves out of a job, not because of something they did but because of someone they work with.

"It started off with a traffic complaint that came in on April 24, 2008," Stephen H. says. "I was working the road—I'm a lieutenant on patrol. A call came in about a reckless driving complaint. I was too far away to respond, but someone else had taken it. When I got back to the office, I went in and asked about the traffic complaint. I was told that the sergeant didn't want to deal with it, so I said I would.

"I phoned the man who made the complaint and asked about it. The man said he wanted to file charges against the other driver, who passed him on a double yellow line. He said he had talked to the sergeant and was told that it would be his word versus the other driver's word. I agreed with that and asked the man if he wanted to give a statement and testify, both of which would be required if he filed charges. He said he did not want to do either.

"I encouraged the man to file charges, but acknowledged that the other driver was an attorney and it would be difficult to win the case. The man said that he did not want to file charges.

"A few months later, the undersheriff took me into his office and started yelling at me, asking if I had told the complainant in the driving complaint that it was his word versus the other guy's. I tried telling him that I was not the only person to talk to the complainant that night, but the undersheriff just blew up. He just kept screaming at me. I couldn't resolve the situation, so I left the office because he was out of control.

"A couple of weeks later, I was taken into the office and questioned about that incident again. Then, I was accused of refusing to file charges on a Division of Wildlife call. I was told that a DOW officer said I refused to file charges on a drug search. That is not true at all. I forwarded my report and my recommendations to the DA's office and she agreed with my suggestions. The charges were filed when the report was sent in. On May 21, 2008, I was fired from my job for those two incidents: for the driving complaint and the DOW complaint.

"After I was fired, I called the DOW officer in the incident. I asked if he told the undersheriff that I refused to file charges and he said, 'Absolutely not, I never even implied it.'

"On July 3, I had a meeting with the Sheriff, where he said, 'I'd give you your job back, but there's too much conflict between you and the undersheriff and it would have repercussions throughout the department.'

"I was there [at the department] for eight years. In the time I was there, no lieutenant lasted for longer than six months because of the undersheriff. He fires people for stupid things. At one time, he wanted me to fire another guy because he put the wrong court date on a traffic ticket. That's a frivolous issue and it's a mistake everyone makes. I refused to fire the guy.

"I have three kids, a wife and a house payment. This is totally horrendous. I tried so hard to do such a good job. I was dedicated to the department and there were no problems with my work before these issues."

If you have been the victim of a wrongful termination, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit to recover lost wages. Contact a lawyer to discuss your case.