I have been asked by a friend who has a friend that was fired for a dog. This is where it gets weird. The dog passed hands from the original owner, to the company manager, to the employee, to my friend. The company manager decided he wanted the dog back. He requested this from the employee. The employee advised him the dog was no longer in her posession and then the manager contacted my friend about the dog. My friend said, "No, I want to keep the dog." The manager went back to the employee, said, "You're on her side aren't you?" and then fired her.

Can a manager fire an employee for something totally unrelated to the work place in a fit of rage? As an "at-will" employee, what does the employee have to protect themselves against such acts?

Rita Risser's response:

Of the thousands of e-mails we've received at Ask the Lawyers, this is the weirdest!

Unfortunately, there is little an at-will employee in an at-will state can do about this. It might be argued that it is an invasion of privacy (as you say, it is totally unrelated to the work place) so it would be good to check with a local attorney, but probably you're friend's friend will end up in the doghouse. She should be entitled to unemployment, however. Good luck to you all!