Q: Do I have a legal recourse for being fired from my job while I was on leave? I was with my father while he was in ICU.

A: First, if the company honestly fired you based on "a finding that you were harassing other employees," then you have no case. Second, if the company's reason for termination is false and you were really fired for your complaints of harassment, the next questions would be "was the harassment based on a statutorily protected characteristic" (such as race, gender, disability, etc.) and was it "severe or pervasive enough to alter a term or condition of employment." With respect to your medical leave question, you need to be employed at least one year to be covered under FMLA.

A: Unless you have a written employment contract your employer can do whatever they want to do, including terminating your employment. Why?

Because Florida is an “at-will” state, private employers are free to solicit, hire, promote, demote, suspend, terminate, reinstate, and rehire employees for any reason—or for no reason--at any time, i.e., “at will.”

Note: Employers cannot lawfully make any of these employment decisions solely based upon the employee’s race, gender, age, national origin, handicap, disability, religion, or whether single, married, or pregnant.

A: More information is needed. Was there any basis for the harassment you received from co-workers? Was it based on your status in a protected class, like race, religion, age, sex, national origin, or disability? If this is the case, and you were fired in retaliation for reporting the harassment, you may have a case. However, there is no recourse if your co-workers were just being mean. In an at-will state, your employer can fire you at any time for any reason. Speak with an experience employment discrimination attorney if you think you have the proof to back up a discrimination case.