Blake Weber v. Jack Moses, Individually and Jeffson Pilot Life Ins. Co.

Court of Appeals of Tennessee

Blake Weber v. Jack Moses, Individually and Jeffson Pilot Life Ins. Co.

DecidedJanuary 17, 1996

Docket02A01-9407-CH-00173

StatusPublished

This text of Blake Weber v. Jack Moses, Individually and Jeffson Pilot Life Ins. Co. (Blake Weber v. Jack Moses, Individually and Jeffson Pilot Life Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Blake Weber v. Jack Moses, Individually and Jeffson Pilot Life Ins. Co., (Tenn. Ct. App. 1996).

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Opinion

IN T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S O F T E N N E S S E E W E S T E R N S E C T IO N A T J A C K S O N

BLAKE WEBER, ) ) P l a i n t i f f /A p p e l l a n t , ) S h e lb y C h a n c e ry N o . 1 0 3 2 7 4 -3 R .D . ) VS. ) A p p e a l N o . 0 2 A 0 1 -9 4 0 7 -C H -0 0 1 7 3 )

J A C K M O S E S , In d iv id u a lly a n d ) ) F IL E D J E F F E R S O N P IL O T L IF E IN S . C O ., ) ) J a n u a ry 1 7 , 1 9 9 6 D e f e n d a n t s /A p p e l l e e s . ) C e c il C ro w s o n , J r. A p p e lla t e C o u r t C le r k APPEAL FROM THE CHANCERY COURT OF SHELBY COUNTY A T M E M P H IS , T E N N E S S E E T H E H O N O R A B L E D . J . A L IS S A N D R A T O S , C H A N C E L L O R

G A IL O . M A T H E S M e m p h is , T e n n e s s e e A t t o rn e y f o r P l a i n t if f /A p p e l l a n t

R IC H A R D H . A L L E N , J R . A LLEN , S C RU G G S , S OS S A MA N & T H O M P S O N , P .C . M e m p h is , T e n n e s s e e A t t o rn e y f o r D e f e n d a n t s /A p p e l l e e s

A F F IR M E D

A L A N E . H IG H E R S , J U D G E

H E W IT T P . T O M L IN , J R ., S R . J . (C o n c u rs ) W . F R A N K C R A W F O R D , P .J ., W .S . (D is s e n t s - s e e s e p a ra t e d is s e n t in g o p in io n )

P la i n t if f -A p p e lla n t B la k e W e b e r b ro u g h t s u it a g a i n s t t h e D e f e n d a n t s -

A p p e lle e s , J a c k M o s e s a n d J e f f e rs o n P i lo t L i f e In s u ra n c e C o m p a n y

(" J e f f e r s o n P il o t " ), a l l e g in g t h a t h e w a s u n la w f u l l y d i s c h a r g e d d u e t o h i s

r e f u s a l t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n A p p e l l e e J e f f e r s o n P il o t 's il l e g a l e m p l o y m e n t

p r a c t i c e s . T h e c h a n c e l l o r d i s m i s s e d A p p e l l a n t 's s u i t , s t a t i n g t h a t h i s

c a u s e o f a c t io n w a s b a r r e d b y t h e a p p li c a b l e o n e y e a r s t a t u t e o f

l i m i t a t i o n s . W e b e r a p p e a l s t h e l o w e r c o u r t 's d i s m i s s a l o f h i s C o m p l a i n t .

A t t h e h e a r i n g b e f o r e t h e c h a n c e l l o r , t h e p a r t ie s s t ip u la t e d t o t h e

f o l l o w i n g f a c t s . A p p e l l a n t w a s v e rb a l l y n o t i f i e d b y A p p e l l e e J a c k M o s e s

o n A u g u s t 5 , 1 9 9 2 , t h a t A p p e l l a n t 's s a le s m a n a g e r c o n t ra c t w it h

J e f f e rs o n P ilo t w o u ld b e t e rm in a t e d a t t h e e nd of A ugust, 1992.

A p p e l l a n t t h e r e a f t e r r e q u e s t e d i n w r i t in g t h a t J e f f e r s o n P i l o t re c o n s i d e r

i t s d e c i s i o n t o t e r m i n a t e h i m . A p p e l l a n t 's s a le s m a n a g e r c o n t r a c t w i t h

J e f f e r s o n P i l o t p r o v i d e d , i n p e r t in e n t p a r t : " t h is c o n t ra c t m a y be

t e rm in a t e d o n w rit t e n n o t ic e b y e it h e r p a rt y ...." A p p e l l a n t r e c e iv e d

w r i t t e n n o t if i c a t io n o f h i s t e r m i n a t io n a f t e r A u g u s t 3 1 , 1 9 9 2 . A p p e l l a n t

f i l e d t h e p r e s e n t s u i t f o r r e t a l i a t o ry d i s c h a r g e o n A u g u s t 3 1 , 1 9 9 3 .

A p p e l l a n t 's C o m p la in t a s s e rt s t h a t A p p e lla n t w a s t e rm in a t e d

2 b e c a u s e h e re f u s e d t o c o m p l y w i t h J e f f e r s o n P i l o t 's a l l e g e d c o m p a n y

p o l i c y o f n o t h i r i n g o r r e c o m m e n d in g f o r e m p l o y m e n t a n y b l a c k f e m a l e s .

T h i s a l l e g a t i o n , i f t r u e , c o n s t i t u t e s a v i o l a t io n o f t h e T e n n e s s e e H u m a n

R ig h t s A c t (" A c t " ), T . C . A . § 4 -2 1 -4 0 1 (1 9 9 1 ). A p p e lla n t s e e k s re lie f

p u r s u a n t t o § 4 -2 1 -3 0 1 (1 9 9 1 ) o f t h e A c t , w h i c h s t a t e s :

I t s h a l l b e a d i s c r i m i n a t o ry p r a c t ic e f o r a p e r s o n o r f o r t w o (2 ) o r m o re p e rs o n s : (1 ) t o r e t a l i a t e o r d i s c ri m i n a t e i n a n y m a n n e r a g a in s t a p e rs o n b e c a u s e h e o r s h e h a s o p p o s e d a p ra c t ic e d e c la re d d is c rim in a t o ry b y t h is c h a p t e r. . .

A p p e l l a n t a l s o a s s e rt s a c la i m f o r r e l i e f u n d e r t h e P u b li c P r o t e c t i o n A c t ,

w h ic h p ro v id e s :

(a ) N o e m p l o y e e s h a l l b e d i s c h a r g e d o r t e r m i n a t e d s o l e l y f o r r e f u s i n g t o p a r t ic i p a t e i n , o r f o r r e f u s i n g t o re m a i n s i l e n t a b o u t ille g a l a c t iv it ie s .

(b ) A s u s e d i n t h i s s e c t i o n , " i l l e g a l a c t i v it i e s " m e a n s a c t i v it i e s w h i c h a r e i n v i o l a t io n o f t h e c r i m i n a l o r c i v i l c o d e o f t h i s s t a t e o r t h e U n it e d S t a t e s o r a n y re g u la t io n in t e n d e d t o p ro t e c t t h e p u b lic h e a lt h , s a f e t y o r w e lf a re .

T . C . A . § 5 0 -1 -3 0 4 (1 9 9 1 ).

T h e a p p lic a b le s t a t u t e o f lim it a t i o n s f o r c la im s f ile d p u rs u a n t t o t h e

A c t a n d f o r c l a i m s a ll e g i n g t h e t o r t o f r e t a l i a t o ry d i s c h a r g e i s o n e y e a r.

S e e T . C . A . § 4 -2 1 -3 1 1 (1 9 9 1 & S u p p . 1 9 9 4 ) a n d T . C . A . § 2 8 -3 -1 0 4 (1 9 8 0 &

S u p p . 1 9 9 4 ), r e s p e c t iv e l y . A p p e lla n t a l le g e s t h a t h is e m p lo y m e n t

c o n t ra c t re q u ire d w rit t e n n o t if ic a t io n of t e rm in a t io n in o rd e r f o r

t e r m i n a t io n t o b e e f f e c t i v e . T h u s , A p p e l l a n t c l a i m s t h a t h i s t e r m i n a t io n

w a s n o t u n e q u i v o c a l , a n d t h e s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s d i d n o t b e g i n t o ru n ,

u n t i l h e r e c e iv e d w r i t t e n n o t i c e , w h i c h o c c u r r e d s o m e t i m e a f t e r A u g u s t

3 31, 1992.

A p p e lle e s a rg u e , o n the other hand, that W eber knew h is

e m p lo y m e n t w a s t e rm in a t e d o n A u g u s t 5 , 1 9 9 2 . In s u p p o rt o f t h e i r

a r g u m e n t , A p p e l l e e s c it e t o W e b e r 's l e t t e r a d d re s s e d t o P a t W a l d e n ,

R e g io n a l V i c e P r e s i d e n t o f J e f f e r s o n P i l o t , d a t e d A u g u s t 5 , 1 9 9 2 . T h e

l e t t e r s t a t e s , " I w o u l d l i k e y o u t o re c o n s i d e r y o u r d e c i s i o n t o t e r m i n a t e

m y S a le s M a n a g e r c o n t ra c t , b e c a u s e I f e e l t h a t I h a v e m u c h t o a d d t o t h e

M e m p h i s A g e n c y a n d J e f f e r s o n P i l o t a s a S a l e s M a n a g e r. " T h e A p p e l l e e s

a l s o c l a i m t h a t i t is e v i d e n t f r o m A p p e l l a n t 's C o m p l a i n t t h a t A p p e l l a n t

k n e w t h e A u g u s t 5 , 1 9 9 2 d e c is io n t o t e rm in a t e h im w a s f in a l. The

C o m p la in t a lle g e s t h a t , a f t e r W e b e r s e n t t h e le t t e r t o M r. W a ld e n , b u t

b e f o r e A u g u s t 3 1 , 1 9 9 2 , " P l a i n t i f f a g a i n p re s s e d D e f e n d a n t M o s e s a s t o

w h y t h e t e r m i n a t io n w a s o c c u r r i n g . D e f e n d a n t M o s e s s a i d , 'b e c a u s e o f

t h e w h o l e s i t u a t i o n . '" B a s e d o n t h e s e s t a t e m e n t s m a d e b y A p p e lla n t ,

A p p e lle e s c o n c lu d e t h a t t h e s t a t u t e o f lim it a t io n s b e g a n t o ru n n o la t e r

than A ugust 5, 1992.

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