Johnson v. Mississippi Employment SEC. Com'n

761 So. 2d 861, 2000 WL 706079
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJune 1, 2000
Docket1999-CC-00472-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 761 So. 2d 861 (Johnson v. Mississippi Employment SEC. Com'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Mississippi Employment SEC. Com'n, 761 So. 2d 861, 2000 WL 706079 (Mich. 2000).

Opinion

761 So.2d 861 (2000)

Evelyn JOHNSON
v.
MISSISSIPPI EMPLOYMENT SECURITY COMMISSION and Heritage Manor.

No. 1999-CC-00472-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

June 1, 2000.

*862 James D. Minor, Attorney for Appellant.

Albert B. White, Madison, John Wesley Garrett, Jr., Clinton, Attorneys for Appellees.

EN BANC.

WALLER, Justice, for the Court:

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

¶ 1. This case comes before the Court on appeal from the judgment of the Circuit Court of Grenada County, Mississippi, affirming the denial by the Mississippi Employment Security Commission of unemployment compensation benefits to Evelyn Johnson. Johnson was discharged from her position as a Licensed Practical Nurse at the Heritage Manor Retirement Home (also known as Grand Care, Inc.), in Grenada, Mississippi, for misconduct after she allegedly threatened to harm Louisa Minga, an invalid who was a long-term resident at Grand Care. The alleged threat was not made directly to Minga; instead, Johnson made the threat to Peggy Ragsdale, Minga's daughter. Ragsdale is an LPN at the Grenada County Jail, where Johnson had been taken into custody on an unrelated matter.

¶ 2. According to Ragsdale's testimony, Johnson stated, "You call yourself a nurse, Peggy Ragsdale, you ain't worth s* * *. I thought you was a nurse. You would not want your mother treated bad or hurt, would you?" Grand Care subsequently *863 discharged Johnson for employee misconduct.

¶ 3. Johnson then filed for unemployment compensation benefits. The claims examiner found Johnson was ineligible for the benefits since her dismissal was for employee misconduct. Johnson contested this finding, and a hearing was conducted before a referee from the Mississippi Employment Security Commission Board of Review. The Board adopted the findings of fact set out below and the opinion of the referee which affirmed the decision to deny benefits:

Claimant was employed from February 28, 1995, to January 8, 1988, as an LPN with Heritage Manor, Grenada, Mississippi. She was discharged for making threatening remarks to a resident's daughter. Claimant was incarcerated at the local facility of Grenada, Mississippi. During her incarceration, she was experiencing physical difficulties. An employee of the county, an LPN, was asked to check on her about her physical infirmities. This LPN has a mother that is a resident at the facility where the claimant worked. While the LPN was trying to administer care to the claimant, she made a statement that this individual felt was threatening. She reported the incident to the facility and claimant was discharged. The LPN at the correctional facility heard the claimant state "you call yourself a nurse, Peggy Ragsdale, you ain't worth s* * *. I thought you was a nurse. You would not want your mother treated bad or hurt, would you?" The LPN felt it was a direct threat to her mother and was at the facility where the claimant was employed and took her threat seriously.

¶ 4. Upon the petition for review by Johnson, the circuit court affirmed the Board's decision, finding that it was supported by substantial evidence, was not arbitrary or capricious, was not beyond the scope of the power granted to the agency, and did not violate Johnson's constitutional rights. Aggrieved, Johnson filed a timely notice of appeal to this Court.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 5. Miss.Code Ann. § 71-5-531 (Supp.1999) governs the standard of review for appealing a Mississippi Employment Security Commission Board of Review decision to the circuit court and to this Court. This Court's judicial review is limited to questions of law. Huckabee v. Mississippi Employment Sec. Comm'n, 735 So.2d 390, 393 (Miss.1999) (citations collected). Miss.Code Ann. § 71-5-531 (Supp.1999) states in pertinent part: "In any judicial proceedings under this section, the findings of the board of review as to the facts, if supported by evidence and in the absence of fraud, shall be conclusive, and the jurisdiction of said court shall be confined to questions of law."

¶ 6. This Court's scope of review in an unemployment compensation case is limited to findings of the Board of Review, and an order of the Board on the facts is conclusive if supported by substantial evidence. Therefore, judicial review is limited to questions of law. Coleman v. Mississippi Employment Sec. Comm'n, 662 So.2d 626, 627 (Miss.1995). The denial of unemployment benefits will be disturbed on appeal only if (1) unsupported by substantial evidence, (2) arbitrary or capricious, (3) beyond the scope of power granted to the agency, or (4) in violation of the employee's constitutional rights. Mississippi Comm'n on Envtl. Quality v. Chickasaw County Bd. of Supervisors, 621 So.2d 1211, 1215 (Miss.1993); Mississippi Employment Sec. Comm'n v. Noel, 712 So.2d 728, 730 (Miss.Ct.App.1998).

STATEMENT OF THE LAW

1. WAS THE FINDING OF THE CIRCUIT COURT THAT THE DECISION OF THE BOARD OF REVIEW WAS SUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE, WAS NOT ARBITRARY OR CAPRICIOUS, *864 WAS NOT BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE POWER GRANTED TO THE AGENCY, AND DID NOT VIOLATE JOHNSON'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, ERRONEOUS AS A MATTER OF LAW?

¶ 7. Johnson contends that Grand Care failed to prove through substantial evidence that she made threatening statements which would warrant the denial of her unemployment benefits. Likewise, Johnson claims that the words she allegedly said would not constitute a threat to Ragsdale or her mother and that the words could not be a threat when considered within their context. Johnson maintains that the statement was not against the interest of her employer and that the statement could easily have been interpreted as a caring statement or a hostile statement. It is hard to imagine how the statement could be interpreted as "caring," but the issue raised is whether the facts as found by the referee are supported by substantial evidence and therefore conclusive.

¶ 8. Robin Skelton, administrator at Grand Care, testified that she received a phone call from Ragsdale stating that Johnson had been arrested for disturbing the peace or resisting arrest. Ragsdale also informed Skelton that Johnson made threatening statements to her concerning Minga. Ragsdale later provided a written statement regarding what Johnson had said to her that night at the jail. Ragsdale's written statement was the basis upon which Skelton terminated Johnson's employment. Johnson was discharged under the disciplinary policy of that institution for misconduct as defined in the employee handbook. Specifically, Johnson was discharged under class one, number 13 which is "misconduct or inappropriate behavior not listed which is the sole judgment of the company and which warrants immediate discharge." This employee policy is issued to all employees via the Employee Handbook.

¶ 9. Johnson maintains that she did not know Ragsdale, and therefore she could not have made a threat specifically directed at her mother who resided in the nursing home. The record reveals that Johnson initially testified that she did not know Ragsdale, though later Johnson also testified that she had seen Ragsdale at Grand Care. Ragsdale testified that Johnson knew her by name, and called her by her name the night of the alleged threat made at the jail.

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Bluebook (online)
761 So. 2d 861, 2000 WL 706079, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-mississippi-employment-sec-comn-miss-2000.