After being terminated does the employer have a legal right to disclose all information on your termination to customers?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

After being terminated does the employer have a legal right to disclose all information on your termination to customers?

I was terminated for allegedly under billing my account. I worked for my community association. After terminated they wrote a letter and explained to the entire community that this happened as well as the amount they want me to pay. This was delivered as a piece of paper in each US mailbox. Is this legal for them to do?

Asked on September 30, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Illinois

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

The first question: was there any agreement prohibiting the employer from doing this? i.e. anything in an employment, non-disclosure, severance, etc. agreement preventing this disclosure? If there was, that agreement may be enforced as per its terms and the employer may be sued for damages if they violated it.

However, in the absence of an agreement to the contrary, there is no law preventing the employer from disclosing the circumstances of your termination. Where they could get in trouble is if they have defamed you, which means made untrue statements of fact about you which harm your reputation. If all the facts are true, it is not defamation; and opinions are not defamation; but untrue facts may be defamatory, and if you think that is what has happened, you should speak with a personal injury attorney.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption