What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas
I began working for a company (based in Texas) in December 2011/January 2012 doing basic accounting and administrative work. In January 2013 the owner of this small company merged with another individual who did the same work. The owner of Company B (based in Colorado) had his wife doing the same work for him. The two owners decided to split all accounting duties (payable would go to her, receivable to me) and we would continue to do administrative work for our "boss" as needed in the office we worked in. After this was discussed and laid out to me, it was then decided by the owner of Company B that it would be better if his wife did all accounting. No reason, just that he wanted to continue to control that as much as possible on his end. I was never told this and when the companies officially began operating as one company I was never informed of my duties. I worked for 6 weeks to get access to the new portal that we worked through, along with all client information from second company, etc. I was repeatedly told that no one had time and that it would be handled at a later date. Finally in mid-February I had a big "let's put it all out on the table" with my owner of the company I worked for. It was finally revealed that the duties I was promised were no longer going to be given to me and that if I didn't like it I could just go talk to the new co-owner and get it figured out. After I did this I struggled for 2.5 months to get the other woman to work with me, she would not respond to any form of communication. I would have to reach out to her husband anytime that I needed something for a client and received no response for weeks at a time. Duties were not split correctly and if I had a duty that he felt was too involved he would transition it to his wife.
Also during this time I received several calls, emails and Skypes from the new owner harassing me telling me that my boyfriend (the owner of the company I originally worked for, who is now my fiance) would leave me if I didn't just go with the flow more. He told me things like, "You didn't have to give up anything in your life to work here, my wife quit a job and found a new part time one to give more time here. You just need to quit so that she can have her work back." "I think your family needs to leave Texas and move here. And I think you'll be surprised when you find that your significant other chooses this company over your family." It went on and on. And this wasn't just a one time comment and it went on to the next, he would repeat many of these over and over again. He would call us all into meetings and move duties of mine over to his wife and then two weeks later attempt to reprimand me for not completing my assigned duties, not recalling when he moved tasks from me to her. He was always very careful to do most of this over the phone so that there's no trail that can be referenced. (This is an ongoing problem at the company even today.)
During this 2.5 month time period he went to the co-owner several times and told him that his wife's feelings were very hurt and that she cried all the time over her limited duties, and that she wanted to quit. He would also then call and say that he was resigning as partner because he couldn't take the emotional abuse his wife had endured. Finally in mid-May 2013 he went to the co-owner and said that his wife had resigned. No paperwork was ever given to show this, but his word was taken. I was then promptly let go, the only thing cited in the reason was that she had resigned and it was best if family was just out of the company. The next day she was back at work, and has remained in her position for the past two years. Despite my fiance's attempts to remove her, with is reasoning being that family is causing too many issues, she has remained.
Due to what i consider to be harassment from his partner, and the fact that I was let go for a reason that was non-existent, would I be able to sue for wrongful termination? Or on any other grounds at this point?
I began working for a company (based in Texas) in December 2011/January 2012 doing basic accounting and administrative work. In January 2013 the owner of this small company merged with another individual who did the same work. The owner of Company B (based in Colorado) had his wife doing the same work for him. The two owners decided to split all accounting duties (payable would go to her, receivable to me) and we would continue to do administrative work for our "boss" as needed in the office we worked in. After this was discussed and laid out to me, it was then decided by the owner of Company B that it would be better if his wife did all accounting. No reason, just that he wanted to continue to control that as much as possible on his end. I was never told this and when the companies officially began operating as one company I was never informed of my duties. I worked for 6 weeks to get access to the new portal that we worked through, along with all client information from second company, etc. I was repeatedly told that no one had time and that it would be handled at a later date. Finally in mid-February I had a big "let's put it all out on the table" with my owner of the company I worked for. It was finally revealed that the duties I was promised were no longer going to be given to me and that if I didn't like it I could just go talk to the new co-owner and get it figured out. After I did this I struggled for 2.5 months to get the other woman to work with me, she would not respond to any form of communication. I would have to reach out to her husband anytime that I needed something for a client and received no response for weeks at a time. Duties were not split correctly and if I had a duty that he felt was too involved he would transition it to his wife.
Also during this time I received several calls, emails and Skypes from the new owner harassing me telling me that my boyfriend (the owner of the company I originally worked for, who is now my fiance) would leave me if I didn't just go with the flow more. He told me things like, "You didn't have to give up anything in your life to work here, my wife quit a job and found a new part time one to give more time here. You just need to quit so that she can have her work back." "I think your family needs to leave Texas and move here. And I think you'll be surprised when you find that your significant other chooses this company over your family." It went on and on. And this wasn't just a one time comment and it went on to the next, he would repeat many of these over and over again. He would call us all into meetings and move duties of mine over to his wife and then two weeks later attempt to reprimand me for not completing my assigned duties, not recalling when he moved tasks from me to her. He was always very careful to do most of this over the phone so that there's no trail that can be referenced. (This is an ongoing problem at the company even today.)
During this 2.5 month time period he went to the co-owner several times and told him that his wife's feelings were very hurt and that she cried all the time over her limited duties, and that she wanted to quit. He would also then call and say that he was resigning as partner because he couldn't take the emotional abuse his wife had endured. Finally in mid-May 2013 he went to the co-owner and said that his wife had resigned. No paperwork was ever given to show this, but his word was taken. I was then promptly let go, the only thing cited in the reason was that she had resigned and it was best if family was just out of the company. The next day she was back at work, and has remained in her position for the past two years. Despite my fiance's attempts to remove her, with is reasoning being that family is causing too many issues, she has remained.
Due to what i consider to be harassment from his partner, and the fact that I was let go for a reason that was non-existent, would I be able to sue for wrongful termination? Or on any other grounds at this point?
