Suffering abuse at work, do I qualify for unemployment if I quit?

[dairyday]

Let me start out by saying that I have no intention of living off welfare, or taking advantage of our govt, but am a single mother and with jobs so scarce, may have to turn towards unemployment as the work environment I am in is herendous and has become detremental to my health physically and mentally.. I have been working for a very small family-operated winery for about 6mos now. Everything I was verbally promised at hiring was later denied, my boss yells at me on a daily basis, screams profanities, has called me names like retarded and stupid, has actually cut my hand ripping papers out of it, tells me to do things one day then denies them the next and yells at me for doing it, lies to and calls our customers names, tells me to do things that are not legal, now I find out ( I am an operations manager) that he has been slandering me to my employees, he gives the males more perks, advancements, and exceptions than he does myself or any other woman in the company...Do I have enough to consider a lawsuit, and would I qualify for unemployment under these circumstances if I quit??? Anyone out there w/ legal expertise that can tell me what rights I have so I don't end up unemployed without an income, but cannot continue here as it's now taking a toll on my health... please, please help!

[Steffie]

You can't file for unemployment if you quit your job, no matter the reason. It sounds like your company is probably too small to be subject to federal labor laws. Your best bet is to look for another job.Sorry, good luck.

[casandra_j_k]

If you are experiencing harassment at work then depending on who reviews your case you might get unemployment. Harassment and discrimination are illegal. You could probably even have a lawsuit but you would have to put out a lot of money for an attorney before you get anywhere.If you work for a corporation then go to human resources.If it is a private run business it is pretty much a case of he said she said and hard to collect anything

[nala12]

I recommend that you consult a lawyer who's familiar with the labor law in your state. You probably have grounds for a lawsuit, and you might collect much more than an unemployment check. If you can document the history of this situation (paperwork, witnesses, etc.) it would certainly help your case.