Legal rights in firings are misunderstood.

You unjustly are accused of stealing $50 from the office coffee fund. You are able to prove your innocence, but your employer fires you anyway. Can your boss legally do this? If, like most non-union employees, you do not have a specific "just-cause" employment contract, the answer is: Yes. If you erroneously answered that the above scenario is an illegal firing, you are not alone, according to Pauline Kim, associate professor of law, Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.), who conducted a survey of employees' understanding of their legal rights in discharge situations. Her written questionnaire showed that an overwhelming majority of employees mistakenly believe they legally are protected against being unjustly or arbitrarily discharged.

The term "employment at will" refers to the legal rule that presumes that an employer can fire workers without just cause, if the employer and employee do not enter into a separate legal contract during the hiring process. "The at-will rule acts as a gap filler...