A legal action taken by a former employee alleging discharge violated antidiscrimination laws or public policy is called:

• A. Constructive dismissal
• B. Wrongful discharge
• C. Resignation
• D. Retaliation

Answer: (B)

Wrongful discharge describes a former employee's legal claim that the dismissal violated anti-discrimination laws or public policy. This covers situations where a firing happens for protected characteristics (like race, sex, age, religion), or for actions that public policy supports (such as whistleblowing or refusing to break the law). It focuses on the legality of the termination itself rather than the circumstances or the employee’s own actions.

Constructive dismissal refers to a situation where the employer makes working conditions so intolerable that resignation becomes the reasonable response, which describes how someone leaves, not the specific legal claim they file. Resignation is simply choosing to leave the job, not alleging any legal violation. Retaliation describes the motive behind a firing, not the formal claim the employee makes about the legality of the discharge.