Q: Can someone be fired if the company suddenly considers them a liability? Even if they have never had a work accident?
My father always completes all of his work he has never been written up. Lately he has been having back and hip problems and yes he has slowed down from when he was 20 but he completes every task asked of him. And today HR contacted him and said that he had to get a note from a doctor today to be taken out of work for leave or either get let go because he was a liability. Is this legal? He has an appointment with a surgeon for his back next month and needed to save his leave time for that but they are making him take it now or get fired
A: In general, yes. North Carolina is an employment-at-will state where an employee can be fired at any time for good, bad or no reason at all. If he is not performing upto the employer's expectations, then he can be fired and that would be considered a "good" reason. However, if he is not performing up to the employer's expectations because of a health condition, he may have certain rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act. To be protected, he would need to disclose his health condition before termination, then ask the employer for a "reasonable accommodation" of his condition. If the employer does not provide a reasonable accommodation, then he may have a legal claim.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
