If I was fired from my job because of having anxiety but I am an independent contractor, do I have any rights?
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If I was fired from my job because of having anxiety but I am an independent contractor, do I have any rights?
My employer was not aware of my anxiety until I brought it up because I was having a difficult week. I have not missed work, my performance has not been affected, and until I brought it to their attention they were unaware of my condition. I signed an independent contractor contract when I started, but upon doing research have found areas of confusion.
Asked on August 27, 2011 Missouri
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If you were an independent contractor working on a particular job and not an employee, the person who was using your services in all likelihood had the legal right to terminate your independent contractor status because you were not an employee. Indpendent contractors are not employees and do not have state protected rights that an employee may have.
In this country, the employment of employees unless there is a written contract for a specific term is "at will." Meaning, an employer can terminate an employee as long as the termination is not the result of any discrimination based upon gender, ethnicity, sexual preference and the like.
Read you independent contractor agreement with the company you worked for in that its terms set forth the obligations owed between you and the company you worked for in the absence of conflicting state law.
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