u/Royal-Interaction979

For context, I had been with my previous employer for almost 10 years, every single year receiving either an "Exceeds Expectations" or "Exceptional" performance review and have had zero disciplinary action.

I started at an entry level position, quickly received 2 promotions in a year and a half as an individual contributor, then promoted to assistant supervisor right at my 2 year mark (2018). Beginning of 2020 I was selected by my management for a 1 year supervisor detail due to that supervisor being out on some type of long term disability. (I was selected out of a lot of strong leaders in my position/department, a few who are now managers).

I transitioned with this team through Covid/remote work and received nothing but compliments from my peers and leadership, being told by multiple employees I was the best boss they'd ever had. My management fought to make this a permanent position change but office politics from the VPs shut that down.

In 2022 I am promoted to a permanent supervisor role in another department. Throughout my time, I again receive nothing but praise from my leadership. I have several significant accomplishments (I won't bore you with the details) and everything seems to be going great.

That is until Oct of 2025 when I was accused of making a sexually explicit comment by a peer in a leadership meeting. Employee Relations (ER) of course investigates. Every other person in that meeting tells ER they did not hear me make any such comment.

The following week comes when I learn of the accusation from a peer, but still hadn't met with ER. So in that weeks meeting I made a brief statement to my peers expressing my disbelief someone made up such an outrageous lie to get me fired. And it was unfortunate because, since the allegation was made anonymously, that I didn't know who I could trust and that was really difficult (because i thought i had good working relationships with all of them). I then got up, thanked the other supervisors that had told the truth when speaking to ER, and I left the meeting.

Next day I finally meet with ER. I vehemently deny the allegation. I was then asked what were my intentions with the statement I did make in the 2nd meeting. I explained I felt it was a professional way to address the situation with my peers. They ask a few more follow up questions and thats it.

4 weeks go by and the entire time I'm thinking I have nothing to worry about. I 100% did not say what I was being accused of and every witness there, other than the accuser, corroborated my story.

One Friday in the middle of Nov, I have an impromptu meeting with my management pop up where I am notified I am being terminated for "ongoing coaching and counseling" and I was being accused of intimidating my peers.

I legit think this might have been the first time in my life my jaw dropped and hit the floor. I was completely shocked and blindsided.

When I asked "what ongoing coaching and counseling?" I was not given an answer. Just told "a thorough investigation had been conducted".

After the weekend and taking time to think, I email ER to explain the situation thinking this has got to be some massive mistake and once someone in leadership takes a look at this, they'll correct their mistake and give me my job back (naive, I know).

I explain how everyone that was in that meeting defended me, and how none of them were asked about the comments I did make in the 2nd meeting. The accusation of intimidation is only coming from the same person who had just lied about me. How can you not ask anyone else that was in this meeting about their perspective If what I said was threatening or intimidating in anyway? I also questioned the ongoing coaching and counseling and what that was suppose to be referencing as I have had next to zero coaching/counseling conversations in my entire career.

I get a response from ER asking for a date/time that I could speak with them. A week later I get to speak with the supervisor in ER. I was then advised that the accusation itself was not the only determining factor the led to my termination, and that my manager had actually been the one who had advocated for my termination. I was dumbfounded. Especially after my last conversation with her. How she was basically trying to reassure me that everything would be OK since I had witnesses and blah blah blah.

She played me, hard.

I learn that she told ER about all these "coachings' that literally never happened. Without going into detail and making this novel even longer, she did all of this over her own personal biases that I am 110% confident had zero to do with my leadership abilities or me as an employee.

Once I learn about all of these additional accusations coming from my manager, I instantly deny them, but it fell on deaf ears.

After some time to put the pieces together, I again email ER explaining how my manager abused her power to get me fired over her own personal bias. A few weeks later I find out ER did end up investigating my manager and she was terminated. I obviously dont know the exact reasoning for her termination, but im thinking this is awesome. Greay news! Someone actually believed me and proved what I was claiming was the truth. NOW I'm going to be able to get my job back. (Still naive, I know).

Fast-forward to my next conversation with ER. I am told they cannot discuss their findings regarding the investigation into my now former manager, but their decision regarding my termination stands. How. Can. It. Stand???

Despite all the evidence I provided them, the action they took with that information, they still keep throwing the same false accusations at me.

I am 41 years old and never been fired from a job. This was a career I worked very hard to earn and I had no plans of ever leaving.

Florida is an at-will state so workers have next to zero rights, unless you were discriminated against for being part of a protected class (gender, age, sexuality, religion, etc...). I have tried to speak to an attorney about filing a defamation suit against the one who filed the initial false allegation against me, but no one seems to want to take the case. I feel like this person is just going to get away with lying about me and ruining my life, for no reason.

Its now 5 months later and im still unemployed. I did take some time off to myself to process everything, but ive been actively looking for employment for months with ZERO luck.

I just can't get over how my entire life was destroyed over lies. I've doordashed some, done a few odd jobs, but im to the point I'm going to be in danger of losing my house. The one I just had built at the end of 2024​. Even if I find a job soon, I might still lose my house because I can't afford it. I was making over 6 figures and where I live, there aren't many 6 figure jobs that aren't highly specialized fields.

I don't even know what I'm asking for, or if I'm asking for anything at all. I guess this is just a way to vent and hope that someone taking the time to actually read all of this has some impactful nugget of wisdom they can impart on me.

Any feedback, viewpoints, suggestions, criticizims, anything at all, is welcomed.

For context, I had been with my previous employer for almost 10 years, every single year receiving either an "Exceeds Expectations" or "Exceptional" performance review and have had zero disciplinary action.

I started at an entry level position, quickly received 2 promotions in a year and a half as an individual contributor, then promoted to assistant supervisor right at my 2 year mark (2018). Beginning of 2020 I was selected by my management for a 1 year supervisor detail due to that supervisor being out on some type of long term disability. (I was selected out of a lot of strong leaders in my position/department, a few who are now managers).

I transitioned with this team through Covid/remote work and received nothing but compliments from my peers and leadership, being told by multiple employees I was the best boss they'd ever had. My management fought to make this a permanent position change but office politics from the VPs shut that down.

In 2022 I am promoted to a permanent supervisor role in another department. Throughout my time, I again receive nothing but praise from my leadership. I have several significant accomplishments (I won't bore you with the details) and everything seems to be going great.

That is until Oct of 2025 when I was accused of making a sexually explicit comment by a peer in a leadership meeting. Employee Relations (ER) of course investigates. Every other person in that meeting tells ER they did not hear me make any such comment.

The following week comes when I learn of the accusation from a peer, but still hadn't met with ER. So in that weeks meeting I made a brief statement to my peers expressing my disbelief someone made up such an outrageous lie to get me fired. And it was unfortunate because, since the allegation was made anonymously, that I didn't know who I could trust and that was really difficult (because i thought i had good working relationships with all of them). I then got up, thanked the other supervisors that had told the truth when speaking to ER, and I left the meeting.

Next day I finally meet with ER. I vehemently deny the allegation. I was then asked what were my intentions with the statement I did make in the 2nd meeting. I explained I felt it was a professional way to address the situation with my peers. They ask a few more follow up questions and thats it.

4 weeks go by and the entire time I'm thinking I have nothing to worry about. I 100% did not say what I was being accused of and every witness there, other than the accuser, corroborated my story.

One Friday in the middle of Nov, I have an impromptu meeting with my management pop up where I am notified I am being terminated for "ongoing coaching and counseling" and I was being accused of intimidating my peers.

I legit think this might have been the first time in my life my jaw dropped and hit the floor. I was completely shocked and blindsided.

When I asked "what ongoing coaching and counseling?" I was not given an answer. Just told "a thorough investigation had been conducted".

After the weekend and taking time to think, I email ER to explain the situation thinking this has got to be some massive mistake and once someone in leadership takes a look at this, they'll correct their mistake and give me my job back (naive, I know).

I explain how everyone that was in that meeting defended me, and how none of them were asked about the comments I did make in the 2nd meeting. The accusation of intimidation is only coming from the same person who had just lied about me. How can you not ask anyone else that was in this meeting about their perspective If what I said was threatening or intimidating in anyway? I also questioned the ongoing coaching and counseling and what that was suppose to be referencing as I have had next to zero coaching/counseling conversations in my entire career.

I get a response from ER asking for a date/time that I could speak with them. A week later I get to speak with the supervisor in ER. I was then advised that the accusation itself was not the only determining factor the led to my termination, and that my manager had actually been the one who had advocated for my termination. I was dumbfounded. Especially after my last conversation with her. How she was basically trying to reassure me that everything would be OK since I had witnesses and blah blah blah.

She played me, hard.

I learn that she told ER about all these "coachings' that literally never happened. Without going into detail and making this novel even longer, she did all of this over her own personal biases that I am 110% confident had zero to do with my leadership abilities or me as an employee.

Once I learn about all of these additional accusations coming from my manager, I instantly deny them, but it fell on deaf ears.

After some time to put the pieces together, I again email ER explaining how my manager abused her power to get me fired over her own personal bias. A few weeks later I find out ER did end up investigating my manager and she was terminated. I obviously dont know the exact reasoning for her termination, but im thinking this is awesome. Greay news! Someone actually believed me and proved what I was claiming was the truth. NOW I'm going to be able to get my job back. (Still naive, I know).

Fast-forward to my next conversation with ER. I am told they cannot discuss their findings regarding the investigation into my now former manager, but their decision regarding my termination stands. How. Can. It. Stand???

Despite all the evidence I provided them, the action they took with that information, they still keep throwing the same false accusations at me.

I am 41 years old and never been fired from a job. This was a career I worked very hard to earn and I had no plans of ever leaving.

Florida is an at-will state so workers have next to zero rights, unless you were discriminated against for being part of a protected class (gender, age, sexuality, religion, etc...). I have tried to speak to an attorney about filing a defamation suit against the one who filed the initial false allegation against me, but no one seems to want to take the case. I feel like this person is just going to get away with lying about me and ruining my life, for no reason.

Its now 5 months later and im still unemployed. I did take some time off to myself to process everything, but ive been actively looking for employment for months with ZERO luck.

I just can't get over how my entire life was destroyed over lies. I've doordashed some, done a few odd jobs, but im to the point I'm going to be in danger of losing my house. The one I just had built at the end of 2024​. Even if I find a job soon, I might still lose my house because I can't afford it. I was making over 6 figures and where I live, there aren't many 6 figure jobs that aren't highly specialized fields.

I don't even know what I'm asking for, or if I'm asking for anything at all. I guess this is just a way to vent and hope that someone taking the time to actually read all of this has some impactful nugget of wisdom they can impart on me.

Any feedback, viewpoints, suggestions, criticizims, anything at all, is welcomed.