Unfair is not always unlawful
Most private employment in New York is at will, which means an employer can usually end it for a poor reason or for no stated reason at all. A termination becomes wrongful in the legal sense when the real reason is one the law forbids, such as discrimination based on a protected characteristic, retaliation for a protected complaint, or taking leave the law protects. It can also be wrongful when a contract or a collective bargaining agreement limited how or why you could be let go. Unlike some states, New York generally does not recognize a broad claim for firing someone against public policy, so a claim usually needs a specific statute or agreement behind it. Sorting which of these, if any, fits your situation is the first piece of work.
The days right after
Read anything you are handed before signing it, particularly a severance agreement, because a release usually gives up claims in exchange for the payment. Workers in the age group protected by federal age discrimination law are entitled to specific time to review and revoke certain releases, and those periods are worth confirming. Apply for unemployment insurance promptly, since being let go does not by itself disqualify most people. Keep the termination letter, performance reviews, and your own messages, and ask before taking company documents. Check what the notice about continuing health coverage says and when it arrived.
Testing the stated reason
Employers almost always give a reason, and the question becomes whether it holds up. Timing is often telling, for instance a termination that follows soon after a complaint, a leave request, or a disclosure. So is how others in a similar position were treated, whether the explanation shifted over time, and whether the paperwork supporting it was created only after the decision. We look at those points, which laws apply, whether an arbitration agreement controls the forum, and which agency filing windows are already running.
