At-Will Employment in Montana

Losing a job can be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life as our work is often connected to our well-being, financially, mentally, and emotionally.

But there can also be ad added stress if you experience wrongful termination, meaning you are fired without good cause. This can then be the basis for a lawsuit and it’s always best to know your rights.

Workers in Montana have more protection when it comes to wrongful termination than in any other state because Montana doesn’t default to an at-will employment rule.

In every other state, employees work at-will. This means their employer can fire them for any reason that isn’t illegal at any time. But in Montana, at-will employment only lasts for employees who are in their probationary period, twelve months following their date of hire, or for a period of time agreed to at the outset of their employment. 

After that timeframe, the employer must have “good cause” to fire them. It has to be a reasonable, legitimate, work-related issue, such as not performing agreed-upon tasks, or an egregious violation of the employee handbook. Employees also have other rights when it comes to their jobs and how employers can and cannot fire them.

At Terrazas Henkel P.C., our attorneys know your rights as an employee and know it can feel disempowering to go through employment termination of any kind, especially when it involves wrongful termination. It can be stressful to hold an employer accountable, but if you were wrongfully terminated, it may be necessary.

If you have questions about your case or our years of expertise defending employees’ rights, please give our team of experienced professionals a call at 406-541-2550 or contact us online. Our Montana-based attorneys will be there to discuss your concerns and help you understand your rights.