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Alabama is an at-will employment state.
Unless there is an employment contract made between the employer and the employee to the contrary, the employee works at the will of the employer.

In other words, as long as they don't violate any federal discrimination laws, an Alabama boss can fire an employee for any reason and does not have to have a "cause."

When I consulted my attorney when I was planning on letting one of my workers go because she was chronically late, he told me that since Alabama's an at-will state I didn't have to document anything or state a reason -- I could let her go for something as trivial as not liking the color of her dress on any given day.

ww

Alabama is an at-will employment state.

I'm glad someone on this thread finally raised this point. In Alabama or any other employment at will state, employees may be fired at any time for any reason or no reason.

I am licensed to practice law in AL and I advise my clients who want to fire employees just to say "you're fired" and not give a reason. That just leads to arguments over whether firing is in fact justified (same thing applies when one cancels a contract, just cancel it, don't give a reason unless you have to.

There are exceptions of course: one may not be fired for race, sex, religion, or age (above 40). Again, that's why I advise to just fire with no reason given. What the employer gives as a reason may later be interpreted as evidence that the real reason was he wanted to get rid of employee for an impermissible reason. For example, saying to an employee over 40, "Joe, you are just too tired these days" or "we need some fresh blood in here" is evidence of age discrimination. A lot of employers don't take that advice, however, they feel it's too cold to just fire with no reason. Those employers may become known as "the defendant."

BTW, the lawyer this woman consulted was right not to take the case. Now that she has come out and declared that she was fired for political reasons she has no case. If she had claimed that she was fired because she is a woman, she might have had a case. Now she can be a RAT martyr, but she won't win a lawsuit in AL.