If I quit my job because of intolerable conditions, do I have a case?

FREE CONSULTATIONS:

415.925.5161

If I quit my job because conditions were intolerable, do I still have a case?

An employee may still have a case against their employer under the constructive discharge claim. Constructive discharge is when an employee is forced to quit their job because they were subjected to illegal working conditions that were so intolerable they felt they had no other choice.

The employee does not have to actually be fired from their job in order to have a claim. The law treats constructive discharge as an employer firing an employee rather than an employee voluntarily resigning.

In order to prove a constructive discharge claim, the employee must show:

  • The working environment or the employer’s conduct was so intolerable that a reasonable person in the employee’s position would have resigned or quit rather than continue working in those conditions.
  • The employer knew of the intolerable working conditions. The employee is responsible for reporting the conditions to their boss or other person of authority in the workplace before having a constructive discharge claim.
  • The employer failed to fix the situation despite being able to do so.

Simply being treated unfairly is not enough to have a constructive discharge claim. Neither is an employer’s single or small incident of misconduct, such as giving the employee an unfair performance review, a pay cut, demotion, or yelling or humiliating the employee at the workplace.

Intolerable working conditions tend to consist of unusually aggravated behavior or a continuous pattern of misconduct. Some examples of behavior that may give rise to a constructive discharge claim include sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, threats of violence or refusal to accommodate an employee’s disability.

McCormack Law Firm is an San Francisco law firm serving all of Northern California and specializing in the field of employment law. We have extensive expertise in helping people who have been wrongfully terminated and retaliated against recover their damages.

Other Wrongful Termination FAQs:

Schedule your free consultation today: 415.925.5161

Client testimonials

This law firm was the only one to answer the phone out of the 15-20 law firms that I called that day. I had a wrongful termination case and Bryan really took the time to listen and understand what happened in my situation, and he knows the law to a T. – Shanic M.

I was owed wages and overtime and my employer refused to pay me. So I hired them to file a lawsuit. Bryan easily understood my very complicated case and I am happy with the results. – Ebi Z.

I didn’t have to pay anything, the firm took the whole risk of managing the case. Through the 14 months, Bryan always kept me updated, was very responsive and patient to questions I had. We achieved a resolution out of court in my favor, making me even happier about the experience. – Peter S.

I can honestly say that my experience with Bryan was all the way positive from day one… We had very high expectations about our case and in the end we got what we hoped for. – Roger J.

I won my trial and I got more than I expected. Everyone in the office is so nice and helpful. Even after everything was finished I could call a few weeks after and ask questions to make sure I was protected and they are more than helpful. – Husain N.

I never had to pay Bryan anything up front, nor was ever pressured to settle early. We ended up settling morning of the trial. Bryan is a really sharp, aggressive, seasoned attorney and knew the law inside and out about whistleblower cases. – Kyle B.

SEEN ON
Fox40-bw
KPIX-bw
SFGate-bw
marin-ij
Abc10-bw