Exactly, same in AZ. I’ve gotten the strict instructions from HR a couple of times: never give a reason for the termination, and never discuss it with anyone outside the company (and even in the company discretion must be used), if another company calls to confirm resume give dates of employment and title only. It’s a simple rule when discrimination laws can come into play: if you can keep your mouth shut, DO. In this age you can’t even pop somebody for being an alcoholic, it’s a medical condition and you can’t “discriminate” against the ill. Anybody familiar with the discrimination tango on termination knew how this one was going to end.
I remember a guy getting fired from a store I worked at, the next time I saw him he was wearing a security guard uniform. He had really been fired for stealing but they never even told the other companies that called.
One of the outgrowths of all this is that it’s now virtually impossible to get a reference from a former employer. Companies absolutely forbid their employees to discuss other employees past or present with someone outside of the company.