While it is certainly the prerogative of a small business to fire at-will employees for just about any non-discriminatory reason, firing circumstances that seem fishy are likely to raise red flags for a future lawsuit. The EEOC and women's rights nonprofit Legal Momentum alleged that Vamco fired female sheetmetal workers for "pretextual reasons"—some within days of starting. This essentially means the stated reason was only a smokescreen for illegal firing practices.