Although most employers realize what they should and should not be doing when it comes to their employees, some make mistakes that end up in a lawsuit. This was the case with a North Carolina soldier who lost his job with the U.S. Postal Service roughly 12 years ago.
After a seven year court battle against the U.S. Postal Service, the 50-year-old soldier finally came out on top in court.
According to the man, he lost his job in 2000 when the Postal Service fired him for taking off too many days for military service. The man now works at Fort Bragg, and noted that he thought it was a joke when he was fired.
Law week, the Merit Systems Protection Board agreed with the man and denied an appeal by the Postal Service. As a result of the wrongful termination lawsuit, he was offered his job back while also being awarded back pay.
Although the lawsuit is not expected to be finalized for another few weeks, it has been noted that the settlement is expected to be in the seven figures.
This was a clear violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which protects everybody from our Indiana readers to those in other states.
Employers need to be cautious of terminating an employee who is serving his or her country as there can be a lot of gray area. Unfortunately for this man, it took more than 12 years for his settlement to come.
Being wrongfully terminated can be extremely stressful while also adding a financial burden. People who find themselves in this position often rely on the assistance of an employment law attorney.
Source: Fayobserver.com, “Fort Bragg soldier wins settlement against U.S. Postal Service for wrongful termination” Drew Brooks, Jan. 10, 2014