Wrongful Termination and Discrimination 

Let Go for Who You Are? You Might Have a Case, Not a Closure

Getting fired shakes everything. One minute you’re working late, the next you’re out the door and left wondering what really happened. If you’ve been obsessing over what went wrong and something just feels off, trust that instinct. Because if it was about who you are, not what you did, that’s more than just wrong. It could be illegal. In moments like these, experienced wrongful termination attorneys can help you see what’s really going on and fight for what’s right.

At Horn Wright, LLP, we’ve seen what unjust terminations look like up close, especially here in New York. This state has some of the strongest worker protections in the country, with laws that differ from those in Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont. Whether you live in the Bronx or work in a high-rise near Wall Street, our New York employment attorneys know how to use these protections to your advantage. If your firing felt personal, it’s worth finding out if it was also unlawful.

Shiny Excuses, Ugly Truths: The Bias You Weren’t Supposed to Notice

Bias doesn’t always show up in obvious ways. Sometimes it hides behind small shifts and rule changes that only seem to affect you.

The Rules Moved the Goalpost And Only You Had to Catch Up

You don’t need someone to spell it out to know when something’s off. You feel it when you’re held to rules that others get to sidestep, and somehow, you’re the one always under the microscope. That’s not just in your head. That’s bias in action, just dressed in office casual.

Favoritism in the workplace often shows up in the form of quiet rule-bending or different expectations depending on who you are. If you’re the one getting flagged for things others do without a word, that’s not performance management. That’s selective enforcement and it’s one of the most telling signs of discrimination. When the rules shift depending on your identity, that’s more than unfair. It’s a sign that something serious is happening beneath the surface.

Here’s what often tips people off:

• Only your mistakes were documented
• You got written up while others got off with warnings
• Your boss said things like, “You’re not what we expected”

Bias doesn’t always yell. Sometimes it shows up as a pattern: mistakes you didn’t make getting highlighted, rules enforced only for you, and then out of nowhere, your job’s on the line. When those moments keep adding up and point back to your identity, that’s not random. Wrongful termination tied to who you are happens more than people think, and those patterns might be exactly what exposes it.

What State Law Really Protects, from Buffalo to Albany

New York law protects workers beyond federal standards, especially from unfair labor practices like retaliation, biased treatment, or punishing someone for reporting discrimination or wage theft. These actions can hurt more than your job, affecting your finances, damaging your reputation, and limiting future opportunities. 

State protections apply even in smaller workplaces and cover characteristics that federal law sometimes misses, including military status and marital status. Knowing what counts as retaliation under state law can give you leverage when building your wrongful termination case.

You Deserve a Job That Doesn’t Punish You for Being Yourself

Discrimination doesn’t always show up the same way for everyone. To fully understand what’s happening, you’ve got to look at the full picture of identity and how it impacts the way you’re treated at work.

Death by a Thousand Comments: How ‘Little Things’ Become Career Enders

Maybe your manager made a backhanded compliment about how “surprisingly professional” you were. Or joked about your holidays like they were exotic curiosities. You might’ve laughed it off at first, but after a while, those tiny digs started stacking up. One day it’s a comment. Then it’s a skipped invite, an overlooked idea, and finally, a poor review. Hostile work environments often begin quietly, persistently, and are completely overlooked by management until you’re pushed out.

Watch for signs like:

• Getting left out of key conversations or decisions
• Having your input consistently dismissed or minimized
• Repeatedly being the target of “jokes” that point to your identity

It’s easy to second-guess yourself when people say you’re being too sensitive. But if the same slights keep happening, especially to others who share your background, they start forming a clear pattern. Repeated microaggressions may cross the line into illegal discrimination. If you’re filing a complaint, you usually have 300 days from the date of the incident to act. Trust your experience. It counts more than they want you to believe.

Fired for the Color of Your Skin or Who You Love? That’s Illegal in Every Borough

New York’s discrimination laws go beyond federal standards. You’re protected from being fired because of your race, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, and more. The state is considering legislation that would expand protections for workers facing bias due to marital status or military service. If you were let go after returning from leave or sharing something personal about your life, these broader protections might apply to your case.

Dates, Documents, and Details: The Map That Shows Your Firing Wasn’t Random

This is where your story starts to take shape. A timeline isn’t just a record of what happened; it shows how the pieces connect and where things began to go wrong. When you lay out events like your complaint, the silence that followed, and the sudden write-ups or firing, you might uncover patterns that are difficult for your employer to explain. That kind of detail can make a major difference when you sue someone for wrongful termination rooted in discrimination.

Details like these help form a clear picture:

• When did you file internal complaints?
• How long after that did the retaliation begin?
• Were others treated differently in the same timeframe?

One piece of evidence might not prove much. But when the timing of complaints, sudden retaliation, or shifting performance reviews all line up, they begin to reveal a motive your employer may not be able to explain.

Even small changes, like a schedule switch or sudden write-up, help reveal patterns. Notes or emails you’ve saved show when things shifted and link your experience to specific events. Putting it together clearly strengthens your case. Filing a complaint with that kind of documentation gives your claim weight and makes it harder for any employer to dodge accountability.

Fired and Looking for Answers? Start Here

Getting fired because of your identity rather than your actions can signal a serious violation of your rights under employment law. If your termination felt personal, it might fall under workplace discrimination. 

Experienced wrongful termination attorneys know how to uncover those patterns and push back. Contact Horn Wright, LLP, today to connect with someone who understands what you’re facing and can help you take the next step.