Massachusetts is a an at-will employment state, meaning that employees can typically be fired at any time for any reason. However, there are several important exceptions to this general rule which are important for employees who have been let go (or are in fear of being terminated from their employment) to know about.
First, there are certain protected activities under the Common Law that an employee cannot be fired because he or she engaged in said activity. These activities including: (1) asserting a legal right (such as taking vacation time or filing a workers' compensation action), (2) fulfilling a legal duty (such as attending jury duty), (3) reporting criminal wrongdoing, (4) refusing to commit illegal acts (such as embezzling or committing perjury), and (5) cooperating in a criminal investigation of the employer or the employee's superiors. Generally speaking, if an employee is engaged in these protected activities the employer cannot terminate him or her for doing so.
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