Luke v. Mississippi Employment Security Commission

123 So. 2d 231, 239 Miss. 292, 1960 Miss. LEXIS 284
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 26, 1960
Docket41516
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 123 So. 2d 231 (Luke v. Mississippi Employment Security Commission) 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
Luke v. Mississippi Employment Security Commission, 123 So. 2d 231, 239 Miss. 292, 1960 Miss. LEXIS 284 (Mich. 1960).

Opinion

*293 McElroy, J.

Ruth Luke, the appellant, appeals from the Circuit Court of Neshoba County, Mississippi, affirming the decision of the Board of Review of the Mississippi Employment Security Commission. The decision of the circuit court was to deny to the appellant unemployment compensation benefits under the Mississippi Employment Security Law, Section 7368, et seq., Miss. Code, 1942, as amended.

The appellant filed an initial claim for benefits under the Mississippi Employment Security Act of February 12, 1959, stating that she voluntarily quit work on July 1, 1958, and stated that she had to quit work because of pregnancy. On February 17, 1959, appellant was sent a notice of disqualification beginning July 2, *294 1958, and continuing until slie bad earned remuneration for personal services in an amount equal to eight times her weekly benefit amount, or $208, for quitting work voluntarily without good cause. In explanation of this disqualification, the claim examiner for the appellee advised the appellant “Your reason for leaving work is a marital, filial, or domestic circumstance or obligation and therefore cannot be deemed good cause under the provisions of the Law.”

The appellant, a married woman, continued her effort to obtain unemployment compensation by appealing to the Referee and Board of Review of the Mississippi Employment Security Commission, and on each appeal she was held to be disqualified for leaving work without good cause. Pursuant to the provisions of the Mississippi Employment Security Act, appellant filed a petition for a judicial review in the Circuit Court of Neshoba County, Mississippi, and the said court, by its order, affirmed the decision of the Board of Review.

Section 7379(a), Miss. Code of 1942, as amended, provides as follows: “For the week, or fraction thereof, which immediately follows the day on which he left work voluntarily without good cause, if so found by the commission, and for each week thereafter until he has earned remuneration for personal services (whether performed for an employer as in this act defined or otherwise) equal to not less than eight times his weekly benefit amount, as determined in each case, provided that marital, filial, and domestic circumstances and obligations shall not be deemed good cause within the meaning of this subsection.” (Emphasis supplied.)

The appellant assigns error in the lower court that the decision of the Mississippi Employment Security Commission and the Circuit Court of Neshoba County, Mississippi, is not supported by the law or evidence, and the Commission and the Circuit Court erred in not granting appellant her compensation.

*295 The point for decision is whether pregnancy of a married woman leaving work is considered voluntary and without good cause, or that the state of pregnancy shall not be deemed good cause within the meaning of being a marital, filial, and domestic circumstance or obligation. The appellant does not discuss this question in the brief hut claims that if the Legislature had intended for women to he disqualified on account of pregnancy, it would have been spelled out in the statute. The appellee submits that it would have been impractical, if not impossible, for the Legislature to specify each and every marital, filial and domestic circumstance and obligation that might occur to cause an employee to leave his or her employment.

In Mills v. Miss. Employment Security Commission, 228 Miss. 789, 89 So. 2d 727, under employment security law, in order to claim unemployment benefits, unemployment must be involuntary and benefits must be used for persons unemployed through no fault of their own.

Under employment security law an unemployed individual is eligible for benefits only if he is “available for work.”

“In Labor & Industry Dept. v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. (1938), 133 Pa. Super. Ct. 518, 3 A. (2d) 211, the word ‘voluntarily’ as used in the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Act, providing that a workman who voluntarily leaves his work shall be ineligible for compensation, having regard to the purpose and intent of the act considered as a whole, was held to mean ‘of one’s own motion’ or ‘of one’s own accord.’ It was held that the meaning of the phrase ‘voluntarily leaving work’ and the question whether it applied to the undisputed facts of the case were questions of law and were within the jurisdiction of the superior courts ; also, that subject to the special exception stated in the Unemployment Compensation Act relative to labor organizations, etc., where an employee without action by the employer resigns, leaves, or quits his employment, *296 Ms action amounts to ‘voluntarily leaving work’ witliin the meaning of the act so as to render him ineligible for unemployment compensation. It was held that the action of one employed to deliver milk for a dairy company amounted to ‘voluntarily leaving work’ within the meaning of the Unemployment Compensation Act and that he was ineligible for unemployment compensation, where he quit work because his physiciaan advised him to give up his position on account of a rheumatic condition which caused pains in his feet and legs that were aggravated by his being on his feet and jumping in and out of the wagon in all kinds of weather, the court stating that to explore the reasons or mental process which led to the claimant giving up his employment was not within the province of the board of review.” Anno. 141 A.L.R. 101.

In the case of Farloo v. Champion Spark Plug Co., et al., 61 N. E. 2d 313, (Supreme Court of Ohio, May 16, 1945), the subject of marital obligation was dealt with in one of the sections of the law as follows:

“Section 1345-6, General Code, which is the portion of the unemployment compensation law pertinent here, provides as follows:
* * # *
“(7) Quit work voluntarily to marry or because of marital obligations.
“By amendment effective September 28, 1943 (120 Ohio Laws, 682) the word ‘voluntarily’ was eliminated from this subsection. Other amendments were made to the act, but are immaterial here.
“The right of the claimant to participate in this fund rests upon and must be determined by this latter section. Its language is clear and unambiguous. In express and specific terms it absolutely prohibits and precludes the payment of unemployment benefits to one who ‘quit work’ voluntarily to marry or because of marital obligations. This provision constitutes a clear exception to parts ‘b’ and ‘c’ under which unemployment *297 benefits are payable to one quitting Ms work without just cause in connection with such work.
“This exception seems to apply even in cases where the availability of the employee for other employment is clearly established. Under the clear and express terms of the statute a person who has so quit work cannot establish availability.

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

Related

Whitehead v. MISSISSIPPI EMP. SEC. COM'N
349 So. 2d 1048 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1977)
Smith v. MISSISSIPPI EMPLOYMENT SEC. COM'N
344 So. 2d 137 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1977)
Donald v. Mississippi Employment Security Commission
253 So. 2d 534 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1971)
Mississippi Employment Security Commission v. Stafford
158 So. 2d 55 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1963)
Mississippi Employment Security Commission v. Corley
148 So. 2d 715 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1963)
Franklin v. Mississippi Employment Security Comm.
136 So. 2d 197 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1961)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
123 So. 2d 231, 239 Miss. 292, 1960 Miss. LEXIS 284, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/luke-v-mississippi-employment-security-commission-miss-1960.