Issaquah, WA asked in Employment Law for Washington

Q: A friend was recently laid off, She was told her job was eliminated. It has instead been given to another employee.

My friend had great reviews and had won awards for her work. It is now being staffed by the bosses old admin. Seems the admin job was the one that was eliminated.

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: Washington is an at-will employment state, which means that those employees whose jobs aren't protected by an employment contract, collective bargaining agreement, or some other similar protection (i.e., most of us) can be terminated without cause (i.e., without grounds) as long as the termination wasn't based on the employee's position in a protected class (i.e., gender, race, etc.). In short, unless the reason for your friend's termination was because of race, gender, age, disability, etc., the termination likely wasn't wrongful.

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