{"id":8277,"date":"2026-09-02T05:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T05:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jameshawkinsaplc.com\/?page_id=8277"},"modified":"2026-09-03T10:35:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T10:35:20","slug":"wrongful-termination","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jameshawkinsaplc.com\/es\/washington-practice-areas\/wrongful-termination\/","title":{"rendered":"Despido injustificado"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Home<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Wrongful Termination Lawyers Serving Washington Employees <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Losing your job can be stressful and confusing, especially when you believe you were fired for an unlawful reason. While Washington generally follows the employment-at-will doctrine, employers cannot terminate employees for any given reason. A termination may be unlawful if it is based on discrimination, retaliation, protected workplace activity, or another reason prohibited by Washington or federal law. If you believe you have been wrongfully terminated, it is important to understand your rights and take steps to protect them. At the James Hawkins Firm, our attorneys have represented employees in wrongful termination and other employment disputes for more than 25 years. We understand that employers may offer legitimate-sounding explanations for a termination, which is why carefully examining the facts, timing, and evidence surrounding your dismissal matters. If you believe your termination may have been unlawful, contact the James Hawkins Firm today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your situation and learn about your legal options.<\/p>

What Is Wrongful Termination?<\/h2>

Wrongful termination occurs when an employer fires an employee for a reason that violates Washington or federal law, public policy, or an otherwise legally protected right. Although Washington is an at-will state, that does not give employers unlimited discretion to terminate employees. Certain laws specifically protect Washington workers from being fired because of who they are, because they exercised a protected workplace right, or because they reported or opposed unlawful conduct.<\/p>

Washington\u2019s Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) is one of the state\u2019s key protections. Under RCW 49.60<\/u><\/a>, employers cannot discharge an employee because of protected characteristics such as race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, age, or disability. Under Chapter 49.46 RCW<\/u><\/a>, employees also have rights relating to minimum wage, overtime, paid sick leave, and other workplace protections. Employers may not retaliate against employees for exercising rights protected by these laws. Additional retaliation protections fall under RCW 49.60.210,<\/u><\/a> which makes it unlawful for an employer to discharge or otherwise discriminate against an employee because the employee opposed practices prohibited by the WLAD or filed a charge, testified, or assisted in a proceeding.<\/p>

In addition to Washington state protections, employees may also be protected by federal employment laws. These protections include the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964<\/u><\/a> which prohibits termination based on characteristics such as race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)<\/u><\/a> which protects qualified employees with disabilities from discrimination; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)<\/u><\/a> which protects workers age 40 and older from age-based discrimination; and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)<\/a> which protects eligible employees from being fired or retaliated against for exercising certain rights to protected medical or family leave.<\/p>

Because the protections available to you depend on the circumstances surrounding your termination, it is important to have a member of our team evaluate your situation so we can help you determine which state and federal laws may apply to your case and explain the legal options available to protect your rights.<\/p>

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Speak With an Employment<\/strong> Attorney Today<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Why Do Wrongful Terminations Happen?<\/h2>

Wrongful termination can happen when an employer\u2019s decision to fire an employee is influenced by bias, discrimination, retaliation, or another unlawful reason. Bias is not always obvious. It may affect how an employer evaluates an employee\u2019s performance, assigns opportunities, handles discipline, or applies workplace policies. In other situations, an employee may be terminated after speaking up about discrimination or harassment, reporting wage violations, requesting a legally protected accommodation or leave, or participating in a workplace investigation, in an attempt to cover up the situation. Employers may not always be upfront about what is really behind a termination. Instead, they may point to performance, attendance, misconduct, restructuring, or another legitimate-sounding reason. This can make it difficult for an employee to know whether the termination was actually lawful. That is where the James Hawkins Firm can help. We look beyond the employer\u2019s explanation and investigate the circumstances surrounding your termination, including the timing of the decision, how you were treated compared to other employees, and whether evidence shows signs of bias, discrimination, or retaliation. Our goal is to uncover what really happened and determine whether your employer violated your rights.<\/p>

Signs You May Have Been Wrongfully Terminated<\/h2>

If any of the following situations sound familiar, our Washington employment attorneys can help you understand whether you may have a wrongful termination claim:<\/p>