Clark v. Director, Employment Security Department

126 S.W.3d 728, 83 Ark. App. 308, 2003 Ark. App. LEXIS 788
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 29, 2003
DocketE03-173
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 126 S.W.3d 728 (Clark v. Director, Employment Security Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clark v. Director, Employment Security Department, 126 S.W.3d 728, 83 Ark. App. 308, 2003 Ark. App. LEXIS 788 (Ark. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

R. Baker, Judge.

Appellant, Bill Clark, Jr., was discharged from his job as a truck driver for Coca-Cola Bottling Co., for safety violations. The employer has a safety policy providing for discharge of a driver who accumulates more than a certain number of points for driving accidents. Appellant began work for the employer on February 4, 2002. He had four accidents between March 6, 2002, and January 10, 2003, accumulating more than the maximum allowed by the safety policy. Each of the accidents occurred when appellant was backing up his truck and ran into something. Each of the accidents was minor with no reported injuries to people. The Board of Review disqualified appellant from receiving unemployment benefits for eight weeks, finding that he was discharged from his last work for misconduct in connection with the work. The Board explained the disqualification as follows:

Although the Appeal Tribunal found that there was no evidence that the claimant was negligent, the evidence establishes that each of the accidents occurred when the claimant was backing up and struck a stationary object. Clearly it was the claimant’s negligence, and not some action by the stationary object, which caused the accident. In addition, the evidence establishes that the claimant repeatedly made the same error. As such, the Board finds that the claimant’s actions demonstrate more than ordinary negligence in isolated instances, and instead, show such repetition as to demonstrate a wrongful intent or design.

The Board’s focus on the causal connection between the accident and actions of the driver, or a stationary object, is not the question that must be addressed. The question is whether the action by the driver demonstrated wrongful intent or evil design rising to the level of misconduct sufficient to disqualify him from receiving unemployment benefits. For the reasons stated herein, we reverse and remand with instructions to award benefits.

On appeal, we review the evidence and all reasonable inferences deducible therefrom in the light most favorable to the Board’s findings, and we will affirm the Board’s decision if it is supported by substantial evidence. Hiner v. Director, Ark. Empl. Sec. Dep’t, 61 Ark. App. 139, 965 S.W.2d 785 (1998). Substantial evidence is such relevant evidence that a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion. Perdrix-Wang v. Director, Empl. Sec. Dep’t, 42 Ark. App. 218, 856 S.W.2d 636 (1993). Even when there is evidence upon which the Board of Review might have reached a different decision, the scope of our review is limited to a determination of whether the Board reasonably could have reached the decision it did based upon the evidence before it. Id.

Arkansas Code Annotated section ll-10-514(a)(l) (Repl.2002) provides in relevant part that an individual will be disqualified for benefits if discharged from work for misconduct in connection with that work. For the purposes of unemployment compensation, misconduct is defined as (1) disregard of the employer’s interest; (2) violation of the employer’s rules; (3) disregard of the standards of behavior which the employer has the right to expect; and (4) disregard of the employee’s duties and obligations to the employer. Rucker v. Price, 52 Ark. App. 126, 915 S.W.2d 315 (1996). There is an element of intent associated with a determination of misconduct. Fulgham v. Director, Empl. Sec. Dep’t, 52 Ark. App. 197, 918 S.W.2d 186 (1996). Therefore, for an individual’s actions to constitute misconduct sufficient to disqualify him or her from benefits, the actions must be deliberate violations of the employer’s rules or acts of wanton or willful disregard of the standard of behavior that the employer has a right to expect of its employees. Kimble v. Director, Ark. Empl. Sec. Dep’t, 60 Ark. App. 36, 959 S.W.2d 66 (1997). See also Oliver v. Director, Emplo. Sec. Dept. 80 Ark. App. 275, 94 S.W.3d 362 (2002).. .

On appeal, we are not limited to a “rubber stamp” review of decisions arising from the Board of Review. Instead, where we have reviewed cases involving “misconduct” and have found insubstantial evidence to support the findings of the Board, we have not hesitated to reverse. See, e.g., Oliver v. Director Empl. Sec. Dep’t, 80 Ark. App. 275, 94 S.W.3d 362 (2002) (absenteeism did not amount to misconduct that would warrant forfeiture of right to unemployment compensation); King v. Director Empl. Sec., 80 Ark. App. 57, 92 S.W.3d 685 (2002) (misrepresentation on job application that involved mistaken belief about expungement was not disqualifying dishonesty); Yarbrough v. Director, 76 Ark. App. 231, 61 S.W.3d 922 (2001) (minor tardiness at sales meeting did not constitute misconduct to ban unemployment benefits); Rollins v. Director, 58 Ark. App. 58, 945 S.W.2d 410 (1997) (the claimant’s use of “harsh and provocative” words held to have not risen to the level of misconduct); Blackford v. Arkansas Empl. Sec. Dep’t, 55 Ark. App. 418, 935 S.W.2d 311 (1996) (claimant did not intentionally withhold information vital to the employer’s interest, nor was deliberately inefficient, nor was guilty of such negligence as to be deemed in deliberate violation of the employer’s rules); Carraro v. Director, 54 Ark. App. 210, 924 S.W.2d 819 (1996) (claimant’s actions did not amount to misconduct).

The question in this case is whether a truck driver’s involvement in motor-vehicle accidents during working hours, which were attributable to the employee’s negligence, constituted work-related misconduct sufficient to bar the employee from receiving unemployment compensation.

To constitute misconduct, the definitions require more than mere inefficiency, unsatisfactory conduct, failure in good performance as the result of inability or incapacity, inadvertencies, ordinary negligence in isolated instances, or good-faith error in judgment or discretion. Nibco, Inc. v. Metcalf, 1 Ark. App. 114, 118, 613 S.W.2d 612, 614 (1981). There must be an intentional or deliberate violation, a willful or wanton disregard, or carelessness or negligence of such degree or recurrence as to manifest wrongful intent or evil design. Id.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Dillinger v. Dir.
2020 Ark. App. 138 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 2020)
Whitmer v. Director, Department of Workforce Services
2017 Ark. App. 367 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 2017)
Wilson v. Director, Department of Workforce Services
2017 Ark. App. 171 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 2017)
McAteer v. Director, Department of Workforce Services
2016 Ark. App. 52 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 2016)
Rockin J Ranch, LLC v. Director, Department of Workforce Services
2015 Ark. App. 465 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 2015)
Johnson v. Director, Department of Workforce Services
2015 Ark. App. 389 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 2015)
Arwood v. Director, Department of Workforce Services
2015 Ark. App. 285 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 2015)
Garrett v. Dir.
2014 Ark. 50 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
126 S.W.3d 728, 83 Ark. App. 308, 2003 Ark. App. LEXIS 788, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clark-v-director-employment-security-department-arkctapp-2003.