In a sea of restaurants specializing in burgers and fries, Taco Bell stands out as a seller of tacos, quesadillas, and other Mexican dishes. The company was founded by Glen Bell, who owned a hotdog stand in San Bernardino, California. He was inspired to make a fast food version of Mexican dishes after watching long lines of customers at a Mexican restaurant. Using his last name, he opened the first Taco Bell in 1962, and the company went on to achieve phenomenal success all over the world.
Aside from its recipes, Taco Bell owes its success to the millions of workers that provide fast and courteous service to all their customers. These workers are on their feet for many hours a day and put themselves at risk of serious injury in order to maintain the company’s standards. Sadly, unfair treatment in the workplace is very common at fast food restaurants, including cases of harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination.
Are you a former Taco Bell employee who was fired for an illegal reason? Are you a current Taco Bell worker who is dealing with discrimination and retaliation from your employer? You may feel like there’s no way out, but there are laws in place to protect workers in your situation, which we can go over with you during a free consultation at our law firm. We can also educate you on your available legal options, which may include an unlawful treatment in the workplace lawsuit against Taco Bell. Please contact our law firm if you’re interested in speaking with a Taco Bell restaurant wrongful termination and discrimination lawyer.
What Makes a Termination Wrongful?
There are many reasons why someone is let go from their job at a Taco Bell restaurant, and not all these reasons qualify as “wrongful” when it comes to a case of unlawful termination. Grounds for a wrongful termination must include a qualifying circumstance, such as discrimination based on a protected characteristic. What does this mean? Basically, both state and federal laws prohibit unfair treatment in the workplace that’s based on characteristics, such as:
- Disability
- Sexual orientation
- Age
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Religious beliefs
- Gender / gender identity
- Marriage or divorce status
- Pregnancy
- Veteran status
- HIV or AIDS status
Workers that are subjected to workplace discrimination often seek relief by filing a complaint with their Human Resources rep or the state labor department. Your employer is not allowed to retaliate against you for doing this, but that’s exactly what happens to many workers in the fast food industry. Termination is fairly common, along with other forms of unfair treatment, like suspensions and demotions. If you are a victim of wrongful termination by Taco Bell, our lawyers can help you get justice through a workplace discrimination and retaliation lawsuit.
Unlawful Termination in Violation of Public Policy
The majority of illegal termination cases we handle involve some form of discrimination, but other cases are based on a public policy violation. Fast food workers, for example, are often taken advantage of when it comes to their wages and hours. Being underpaid or not being paid for break times, bathroom breaks, etc., can all be the basis for a wage and hours complaint with the California labor board.
Unfortunately, some employers retaliate against their workers for asserting their rights under the law. Termination is a common form of retaliation, as well as demotions, pay cuts, and denial of work privileges that are available to other employees. Workers in these situations can also file a wrongful termination lawsuit based on a public policy violation by their employer.
To learn more about your rights under the California public policy exception law, contact us to schedule a free case review.
Taco Bell Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Case Value
The amount you can receive from an employee discrimination case against Taco Bell depends on the total sum of the damages you are entitled to. Damages refer to monetary compensation for the losses you’ve sustained from a wrongful termination, such as:
- Back pay and front pay (lost wages)
- Compensation for lost work benefits
- Medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Damage to your professional reputation
- Attorney’s fees
- Punitive damages
Wrongful termination settlements in California range from $5,000 to $10,000 on the lower end, and all the way up to $100,000 and above for the most valuable cases. One of our attorneys can meet with you and help you determine the right amount to ask for if you were wrongfully terminated from Taco Bell.
Settling a Wrongful Termination Case – How Long Does it Take?
The timeline to recover your settlement award depends on the steps we will need to take, which can be quite extensive depending on the circumstances between you and your employer. It’s been our experience that claims involving discrimination and retaliation can take one or more years to settle, especially if your case goes to trial. However, most of these cases are resolved before the trial date, as many employers want to avoid the hassle and expense of taking a wrongful termination case to trial. If you would like to discuss the factors that can affect how long it will take to recover your payment, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
Statute of Limitations – How Long do I have to Sue my Employer?
The statute of limitations for a wrongful termination lawsuit can be anywhere from 2 to 4 years in the state of California. If, for example, you were fired after complaining of discrimination from your employer, you would have 3 years to file a lawsuit. If, on the other hand, your termination was a public policy violation such as firing you over a wage and hours complaint, you would have two years to sue Taco Bell. You want to be 100% sure when it comes to the filing deadline for a labor law violation claim, as the courts rarely allow extensions for these lawsuits. To protect your right to monetary compensation, call us right away to verify the correct statute of limitations for your case.
Free Second Opinion
Do you feel confident about your wrongful termination claim against Taco Bell, or do you have suspicions that your case is headed in the wrong direction? If you have concerns about a pending employee discrimination complaint, perhaps we can be of help with a free second opinion. Early warning signs should never be ignored when you are in the middle of a lawsuit. That’s why we offer this service completely free of charge, with no obligation to do anything beyond speaking with us. If you’re interested in meeting with us for a free second opinion, simply give us a call here at our law firm.
Speak to a California Wrongful Termination Lawyer
Working at a fast food restaurant comes with many risks, including the possibility of being fired for an unlawful reason. If you were terminated from Taco Bell due to circumstances that involve discrimination or other illegal acts by your employer, please take some time to learn about your rights from one of our attorneys. We have decades of experience in wrongful termination and unlawful treatment in the workplace claims. You can count on us to fight aggressively on your behalf and secure the settlement you are entitled to.
At California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group, all clients receive a Zero Fee Guarantee from the moment they meet with us for the initial consultation. You pay $0 to hire one of our attorneys, since our payment comes from the party you are suing. That means we make absolutely nothing unless we bring you compensation from a wrongful termination lawsuit against Taco Bell.
We are ready to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so contact our law firm to speak with a lawyer experienced in workplace discrimination cases.
