Legal Question in Employment Law in New York

Most employment is "at will," meaning that either the employer or the employee is free to end the employment relationship. Just as an employee is free to leave for any reason (even for a bad reason), the employer has the same freedom to end the employment. The exceptions to the "at will" doctrine are where there is a written employment agreement, such as a collective bargaining agreement, or where there is unlawful discrimination (based upon such factors as sex, pregnancy, age, disability, national origin, color, creed, race, or religion) or retaliation.

Thus, one can be fired for the color of his tie, but not the color of his skin.

Employers, of course, are not always honest and forthright about their reasons for terminating an employee. Thus, one must sometimes look beyond the reason given and determine whether there is any basis to believe that the supposed reason for the termination is not a proxy for some sort of unlawful discrimination.

Good luck to you.