Her account can be taken at straight value only because this company failed the firing so badly.

This should be able to be easily answered.

E.g.

"Your performance review on November 17th we discussed concern that you weren't closing any sales."

"Your peers close 20 tickets per week, you close 12."

"You made mistakes on X, Y, and Z deals costing us clients."

"A sales associate normally closes 3 deals in the first month after their 3-month onboarding."

Basically, anything concrete at all. Either tell someone they're laid off (cost savings) or if you're going to cite a cause then you should back that cause up. You can't claim at-will-employement-fired-for-no-reason when you half-ass it and state a reason with no data or facts or any management chain present to speak to the reality of the situation.

Back in the 00s, I played cards periodically with a friend-of-friend. He showed up one Friday and told all of us a story about how he's doing so well that his manager recommended him for a special 8-week program to improve his performance, with a checkpoint at the 4-week mark and the end of the program.

That's right, he was being put on a PIP (at risk of termination) and internalized it that this was a perq/reward program for outstanding performance.

It's easy to believe a manager didn't give criticism because it makes their job easier until the time they have to rip the bandaid off, then they can wash their hands of the issue.

her account is the only account we have. do you have any reason _not_ to take this at face value?

Yeah, that's a good point. That could be the situation as well. :)