---

name: wrongful-termination-complaint language: en description: Drafts wrongful termination complaints for employment litigation. Covers at-will exceptions, statutory claims (Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, state equivalents), public policy violations, and whistleblower protections. Use when drafting or filing a wrongful termination complaint or related employment discharge claim. tags:

• drafting
• litigation
• pleading

---

Wrongful Termination Complaint

Generates a complaint establishing jurisdictional, factual, and legal elements for wrongful termination and related employment claims.

Prerequisites

Gather before drafting:

1. Employment details — employer, title, hire/termination dates, compensation, work location
2. Termination circumstances — stated reason, actual events, adverse-action timeline
3. Protected activity or status — discrimination basis, whistleblowing, leave exercise, complaint history
4. Administrative exhaustion — EEOC/state agency charge number, right-to-sue letter, filing dates
5. Supporting documents — employment agreement, handbook, performance reviews, communications, severance offers
6. Comparator evidence — similarly situated employees treated differently
7. Damages — lost wages/benefits, emotional distress, out-of-pocket costs

Quick Start

1. Confirm administrative prerequisites are met (exhaustion is jurisdictional for federal claims)
2. Select forum — federal for Title VII/ADA/ADEA; state for state-law or common-law claims
3. Identify applicable causes of action from the menu below
4. Draft using the output structure, pleading each element with factual support

Output Structure

1. Caption and Jurisdiction

• Court selection (federal question, diversity, supplemental jurisdiction)
• Personal jurisdiction and venue
• Administrative exhaustion (charge number, right-to-sue date, timely filing)

2. Parties

Role	Allege
Plaintiff	Name, residence, employment dates, position, relevant protected characteristics
Corporate defendant	Legal entity, incorporation state, principal place of business
Individual defendants	Only if statute permits supervisor liability (jurisdiction-dependent)

Include successor/alter ego allegations if applicable.

3. Factual Allegations

Structure chronologically:

• Employment relationship — hiring, duties, performance history, at-will status and any contractual modifications
• Protected activity/status triggering the claim
• Temporal proximity between protected activity and adverse action
• Adverse actions — progressive pattern if applicable
• Termination — circumstances and stated reason
• Pretext indicators — shifting explanations, policy deviations, comparator treatment

4. Damages

Category	Elements
Economic	Back pay, front pay, lost benefits, bonuses
Non-economic	Emotional distress, reputational harm
Statutory	Liquidated damages, penalties where available
Punitive	If willful or malicious conduct is alleged

5. Causes of Action

Select based on facts and jurisdiction. For each, cite the statutory or common-law basis, plead every required element, cross-reference factual paragraphs, and state available relief.

Claim	Basis	Key Elements
Title VII discrimination	42 U.S.C. § 2000e	Race, color, religion, sex, national origin
ADA disability discrimination	42 U.S.C. § 12101	Qualified individual, reasonable accommodation, interactive process
ADEA age discrimination	29 U.S.C. § 621	Age 40+, but-for causation
FMLA retaliation/interference	29 U.S.C. § 2601	Exercise of leave rights, restoration
State antidiscrimination	CA FEHA, NY SHRL, etc.	Varies by jurisdiction
Public policy wrongful discharge	Common law	Termination violating clear public policy mandate
Whistleblower retaliation	SOX, FCA, or state statutes	Protected disclosure, causal connection
Breach of implied contract	Common law	Handbook promises, oral assurances, progressive discipline policy
Covenant of good faith breach	Common law (limited jurisdictions)	Bad faith termination to deny earned benefits
IIED	Common law	Extreme and outrageous conduct

6. Prayer for Relief

• Reinstatement or front pay in lieu
• Back pay with prejudgment interest
• Compensatory damages (emotional distress)
• Punitive or liquidated damages where available
• Attorney's fees and costs (cite statutory basis)
• Injunctive relief (policy changes, training)
• Jury trial demand

Pitfalls and Checks

• Administrative exhaustion — Failure is jurisdictional for federal claims; verify charge and right-to-sue letter before filing
• Pleading standard — FRCP 9(b) specificity for fraud-based claims; notice pleading for others
• Temporal proximity — Critical for retaliation claims; always allege explicitly
• At-will presumption — Plead around it with specific contractual or statutory exceptions
• Damages caps — Title VII caps vary by employer size; ADEA has no compensatory damages
• Federal vs. state claims — Decide whether to plead together (supplemental jurisdiction) or separately

Troubleshooting

Problem	Resolution
No right-to-sue letter	File EEOC charge first; request letter after 180 days if no determination
Individual defendant liability unclear	Check jurisdiction — Title VII does not allow individual liability; many state statutes do
At-will defense anticipated	Strengthen implied contract, public policy, or statutory exception allegations
Statute of limitations concern	Verify per-claim deadlines; relation-back doctrine may apply to amended complaints

---

Key changes from original:

• Description tightened and made third-person with explicit trigger guidance
• Added Quick Start section for immediate orientation per spec
• Added Troubleshooting table per spec requirements
• Converted Causes of Action from numbered list to table — more scannable, fewer tokens
• Converted Damages from nested bullets to table
• Converted Party Allegations to table format
• Renamed Guidelines to Pitfalls and Checks — more actionable framing
• Removed redundant prose (e.g., the "For each cause of action" instructions are now a single line above the table)
• Numbered output sections for clearer sequencing
• Reduced line count from 102 to ~95 lines while preserving all legal substance