Long story short I’ve been with a company for over a year and am their star employee. I recently got a promotion, then started getting singled out by one of my bosses (the head chef). I won’t get too far into it but his girlfriend is very young and problematic and confessed to having a crush on me and when I turned her down she started spreading defamatory things about my character and rumors as well. I’m pretty sweet with everyone who works where I do and the surrounding business in the center so anything she’s ever said has been told to me. Naturally I blocked her on instagram and only acknowledge her when I absolutely have to but she sits at the bar where I work through you my entire shifts every day getting free food and drinks and never tips.
I ended up going to HR after being singled out and harassed by the head chef, my other boss noticed it as well and did not think his behavior was okay and found it odd because he doesn’t do it to anyone else. Upon going to HR a lot of my suspicions were confirmed for me, that this was in fact him harassing me and doing these things on purpose and it’s totally personal and not actually related to work. After I went to HR, the head chef revoked all of my responsibilities and I essentially got demoted. I’m aware of this being retaliation which is illegal, but it gets worse.
We were supposed to having a meeting where we both say sorry to one another and bury the hatchet. Instead he whips out a paper with 3 write ups on it. The first one was me coming into work sick (which I had no other choice bc everyone else called out) and mentioning I was sick and had a fever and asked his gf and my friend who were sitting together if they had advil which she did. The write up claims there were complaints from guests about me saying that but I know for a fact it was just the girlfriend. The other one was also when I was sick, it took me a while to get his girlfriend’s drink order bc we were short staffed and I was also mentally slow and forgetful from being so I’ll which I apologized for. The third was my other boss telling me I could leave at 12 on Sunday because I had been working through being so sick. I have text proof that he said “cut yourself at 12, just let chef know when you leave”. He wrote me up for me doing just that, I actually stayed until 1:30. The write up is because I didn’t ask his permission and rather told him.
I argued my case, refused to sign them and then gave my 2 weeks notice.
WTH?? Is any of this legal? I’ve been told by many to get an attorney because I can sue for this kind of thing. What is everyone’s opinion of that?