# Can a court/judge order someone to be fired from their job?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-court-judge-order-someone-to-be-fired-from-their-job/776251>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 3, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-court-judge-order-someone-to-be-fired-from-their-job/776251 "2017-01-03T19:40:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-court-judge-order-someone-to-be-fired-from-their-job/776251/4 "2017-01-03T22:49:23Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> The answer to the simple question is yes: a judge can order that a company terminate an employee. I doubt that can ever be a remedy for the specific example of some giant act of gross negligence.
> 
> But I can easily picture another type of legal action that could result in such an order: Jack works for Up The Hill Enterprises, and signed an agreement that if he resigns, he cannot accept employment for one year with any company in the same city that works in the same industry and compete for the same contracts as UTHE. JillCo is a subcontractor to UTHE on some contracts and competes against them for others in the same industry. JillCo’s subcontracting agreement with UTHE forbids the recruitment or hiring of any UTHE employees.
> 
> Jack resigns and accepts a job as business development director with JillCo.
> 
> UTHE’s lawsuit against Jack and JillCo could easily result in a court ordering that Jack’s employment be terminated.

I’m not so sure. I think the Court can award damages, I don’t think the Court has the power to force a termination. I don’t have time to research right now, but I’ll stick with my “no” answer above.

The only exception I can think of is pursuant to some sort of “consent decree” where the Court has taken over some kind of authority (over a police department or school district, for example)

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