Home/Court of Appeals of Tennessee/Curtis G. Mayes v. Margaret C. Culpepper, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Curtis G. Mayes v. Margaret C. Culpepper, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedFebruary 1, 1999
Docket03A01-9801-CH-00032
StatusPublished

This text of Curtis G. Mayes v. Margaret C. Culpepper, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Curtis G. Mayes v. Margaret C. Culpepper, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) 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
Curtis G. Mayes v. Margaret C. Culpepper, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., (Tenn. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

I N T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S A T K N O X V I L L E FILED February 1, 1999

Cecil Crowson, Jr. Appellate C ourt Clerk

C U R T I S G . M A Y E S , ) K N O X C H A N C E R Y ) C . A . N O . 0 3 A 0 1 - 9 8 0 1 - C H - 0 0 0 3 2 P l a i n t i f f - A p p e l l a n t ) ) ) ) ) ) v s . ) H O N . F R E D E R I C K D . M c D O N A L D ) C H A N C E L L O R ) ) ) ) ) M A R G A R E T C . C U L P E P P E R , ) R E V E R S E D A N D R E M A N D E D C o m m i s s i o n e r o f t h e T e n n e s s e e ) D e p a r t m e n t o f E m p l o y m e n t ) S e c u r i t y ) ) a n d ) ) W A L - M A R T S T O R E S , I N C . , ) ) D e f e n d a n t s - A p p e l l e e s )

L E E A N N S W A R M , K n o x v i l l e L e g a l A i d S o c i e t y , I n c . , f o r A p p e l l a n t .

J O H N K N O X W A L K U P , A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l a n d R e p o r t e r , a n d D O U G L A S E A R L D I A M O N D , A s s i s t a n t A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , f o r t h e a p p e l l e e , C o m m i s s i o n e r o f t h e T e n n e s s e e D e p a r t m e n t o f E m p l o y m e n t S e c u r i t y .

F R E D E R I C K W . H O D G E , N a s h v i l l e , f o r a p p e l l e e , W a l - M a r t S t o r e s , I n c . O P I N I O N

M c M u r r a y , J .

T h i s i s a n a p p e a l f r o m t h e d e n i a l o f u n e m p l o y m e n t c o m p e n s a t i o n

b e n e f i t s . T h r o u g h t h e e n t i r e p r o c e d u r e , i n c l u d i n g a n a p p e a l t o t h e

C h a n c e r y C o u r t f o r K n o x C o u n t y , t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s b e e n d e n i e d

u n e m p l o y m e n t c o m p e n s a t i o n b e n e f i t s b e c a u s e h e h a d b e e n g u i l t y o f

m i s c o n d u c t a r i s i n g o u t o f t h e s c o p e a n d c o u r s e o f h i m e m p l o y m e n t

a n d T . C . A . § 5 0 - 7 - 3 0 3 ( a ) ( 2 ) b a r s h i m f r o m r e c o v e r y o f u n e m p l o y m e n t

c o m p e n s a t i o n b e n e f i t s . W e r e v e r s e t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e C h a n c e r y

C o u r t a n d r e m a n d t h i s c a s e t o t h e t r i a l c o u r t f o r e n t r y o f a n o r d e r

a w a r d i n g u n e m p l o y m e n t b e n e f i t s a s p r o v i d e d b y l a w .

O n S e p t e m b e r 1 , 1 9 9 5 , t h e a p p e l l a n t b e g a n h i s e m p l o y m e n t a t

W a l - M a r t . B e f o r e h i s e m p l o y m e n t a t W a l - M a r t , t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d

b e e n a r r e s t e d a n d c h a r g e d w i t h a s s a u l t , v a n d a l i s m a n d w i r e t a p p i n g .

A t t h e t i m e o f h i s i n i t i a l e m p l o y m e n t w i t h W a l - M a r t t h e c h a r g e s

w e r e s t i l l p e n d i n g . O n h i s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r e m p l o y m e n t , t h e

a p p e l l a n t w a s a s k e d w h e t h e r h e h a d b e e n c o n v i c t e d o f a f e l o n y o r

a n y t y p e o f t h e f t o r f r a u d . H e r e s p o n d e d t r u t h f u l l y t h a t h e h a d

n o t b e c a u s e a t t h a t t i m e , a s n o t e d , t h e c h a r g e s w e r e s t i l l p e n d i n g .

2 T h e e m p l o y m e n t a p p l i c a t i o n c o n t a i n e d n o q u e s t i o n r e g a r d i n g a r r e s t s .

T h e r e f o r e , t h e a p p e l l a n t d i d n o t f a l s i f y h i s e m p l o y m e n t a p p l i c a -

t i o n .

W h e n h e f i r s t w e n t t o w o r k a t W a l - M a r t , h e w o r k e d a s a

s t o c k m a n . H e w a s l a t e r t r a n s f e r r e d t o c o u r t e s y p a t r o l i n t h e

p a r k i n g l o t . O n J u l y 1 5 , 1 9 9 6 , t h e a p p e l l a n t w a s p l a c e d o n a

j u d i c i a l d i v e r s i o n f o r t h e p e n d i n g c h a r g e s . T h e a p p e l l a n t d i d n o t

a d v i s e W a l - M a r t o f t h e j u d i c i a l d i v e r s i o n . W a l - M a r t l e a r n e d o f t h e

j u d i c i a l d i v e r s i o n t h r o u g h o t h e r s o u r c e s a n d t e r m i n a t e d t h e

a p p e l l a n t ' s e m p l o y m e n t . W a l - M a r t c o n c e d e s t h a t i t h a s n o p o l i c y

t h a t w o u l d h a v e r e q u i r e d t h e a p p e l l a n t t o r e p o r t t h e j u d i c i a l

d i v e r s i o n t o W a l - M a r t . T h e c l o s e s t t h i n g t o a p o l i c y r e g a r d i n g t h e

s u b j e c t m a t t e r i s f o u n d i n t h e t e s t i m o n y o f M r . L e w i s B l o c k t o n , a

s u p e r v i s o r a t W a l - M a r t . H e t e s t i f i e d a s f o l l o w s :

M R . B L O C K T O N : O h , v i o l a t i o n o f p o l i c y a s f a r a s a n a r r e s t e d a s s o c i a t e . H e w a s - h e w a s n ' t a r r e s t e d , b u t a c c o r d i n g t o o u r p o l i c y , i f o n c e t h e y p l e a d g u i l t y t o c h a r g e s o r - o r p l e a d s n o c o n t e s t o r i s f o u n d g u i l t y o f - o f a n y c h a r g e s a n d o u r - o u r W a l - M a r t i s s a y i n g t h a t , h e y , i f t h e g u y i s o u t t h e r e g u a r d i n g o t h e r p e o p l e ' s s a f e b e i n g a n d p r o p e r t y , a n d h e j u s t p l e d e d ( s i c ) g u i l t y t o t h e s e c h a r g e s - y o u k n o w - h o w c a n h e s t o p s o m e o n e e l s e ?

T . C . A . § 5 0 - 7 - 3 0 3 ( a ) ( 2 ) p r o v i d e s a s f o l l o w s :

( a ) D i s q u a l i f y i n g E v e n t s . A c l a i m a n t s h a l l b e d i s q u a l i - f i e d f o r b e n e f i t s :

3 ( 2 ) I ft h e c o m m i s s i o n e r f i n d s t h a t a c l a i m a n t h a s b e e n d i s c h a r g e d f r o m s u c h c l a i m a n t ' s m o s t r e c n e t w o r k f o r m i s c o n d u c t c o n n e c t e d w i t h s u c h c l a i m a n ' t s w o r k , s u c h d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n s h a l l b e f o r t h e d u a r - t i o n o f t h e e n s u i n g p e r i o d o f u n e m p l o y m e n t a n d u n t i l s u c h c l a i m a n t h a s s e c u r e d s u b s e q u e n t e m p l y o - m e n t c o v e r e d b y a n u n e m p l o y m e n t c o m p e n s a t i o n l a w o f t h i s s t a t e , o r a n o t h e r s t a t e , o r o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , a n d w a s p a i d w a g e s t h e r e b y t e n ( 1 0 ) t i m e s s u c h c l a i m a n t ' s w e e k l y b e n e f i t a m o u n t ;

S i n c e t h e i n c i d e n t s t h a t r e s u l t e d i n t h e t e r m i n a t i o n o f t h e

a p p e l l a n t o c c u r r e d b e f o r e h i s e m p l o y m e n t w i t h W a l - M a r t ; h e d i d n o t

f a l s i f y h i s e m p l o y m e n t a p p l i c a t i o n n o r v i o l a t e a n y c o m p a n y p o l i c y ,

w e a r e o f t h e o p i n i o n t h a t t h e a r r e s t a n d s u b s e q u e n t j u d i c i a l

d i v e r s i o n a r e n o t c o n n e c t e d w i t h t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s w o r k w i t h i n t h e

m e a n i n g o f t h e a b o v e q u o t e d s t a t u t e .

W h i l e t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s m a y b e s u c h a s t o m a k e t h e a p p e l l a n t

u n s u i t a b l e f o r t h e p a r t i c u l a r w o r k t h a t h e w a s d o i n g f o r W a l - M a r t ,

i . e . , s e c u r i t y , t h e y d o n o t c o n s t i t u t e g r o u n d s f o r d e n i a l o f

u n e m p l o y m e n t b e n e f i t s . I n C h e r r y v . S u b u r b a n M a n u f a c t u r i n g

C o m p a n y , 7 4 5 S . W . 2 d 2 7 3 , o u r S u p r e m e C o u r t m a d e t h e f o l l o w i n g

o b s e r v a t i o n :

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Bluebook (online)
Curtis G. Mayes v. Margaret C. Culpepper, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/curtis-g-mayes-v-margaret-c-culpepper-commissioner-tennctapp-1999.