Wrongful termination cases reach all industries and professions in Missouri and elsewhere in the United States. After being terminated, allegedly for statements he posted on Facebook regarding the Internal Revenue Service, long-time St. Louis television anchor man Larry Conners sought a restraining order from a judge on a non-compete clause in his employment contract with the station that fired him. In other words, after being fired, the station is now asserting the non-compete contract provision, effectively preventing Conners from gaining employment in the television industry. Conners contends that his termination was long in the works, and the real reason behind it was his age as opposed to the stated reason of his postings on Facebook about the IRS.
As a prelude to further litigation alleging wrongful dismissal, Conners duly filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The first step in the process of asserting a claim for wrongful termination, including unlawful discrimination, is filing a complaint with the EEOC. An experienced employment law attorney may give Conners better footing when navigating through the procedures associated with an EEOC complaint.
A key factor to bear in mind in regard to an allegation of wrongful termination based on a discriminatory policy, practice or act, is that an EEOC filing must be made within a specific time frame. The failure to make the deadline can preclude a wrongfully terminated employee from ever obtaining relief for the misconduct of their employer.
In addition to the age discrimination complaint, Conners is pursuing redress for the Facebook allegation through the National Labor Relations Board. An employment law attorney may be of help to those who are seeking compensation from their negligent employers.
Source: CBS, “KMOV’s Conners: ‘Management Wanted to Get Rid of An Older Anchor'”, August 04, 2013
