Silkert v. Ohio Department of Job & Family Services

919 N.E.2d 783, 184 Ohio App. 3d 78
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 28, 2009
DocketNo. 22936
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 919 N.E.2d 783 (Silkert v. Ohio Department of Job & Family Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Silkert v. Ohio Department of Job & Family Services, 919 N.E.2d 783, 184 Ohio App. 3d 78 (Ohio Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

Fain, Judge.

{¶ 1} Plaintiff-appellant Jovon Silkert appeals from a judgment of the trial court affirming a decision of the Unemployment Compensation Review Commission that Silkert is not entitled to unemployment compensation.1 Silkert contends that the trial court erred in failing to find that the commission’s decision was against the manifest weight of the evidence. Silkert further contends that the trial court should have found that the commission’s decision was unlawful or unreasonable. Finally, Silkert contends that the trial court erred in failing to find that the commission’s decision deprived Silkert of rights under the United States and Ohio Constitutions.

{¶ 2} We conclude that in an administrative review of the eligibility of a discharged employee for unemployment compensation, the burden of persuasion remains at all times upon the discharged employee to demonstrate that he was [81]*81discharged without just cause. But where the existence of just cause depends upon a positive drug test for marijuana, the facts governing the reliability of the test are peculiarly within the knowledge of the employer, and the discharged employee presents some evidence to impeach the reliability of the test — in this case, his testimony that he had never used marijuana — the employer has a burden of coming forward with some evidence to show that the test administered is reliable. In the administrative hearing in this matter, no burden was imposed upon Silkert’s employer to come forward with any evidence to demonstrate the reliability of the test, after Silkert had offered some evidence to impeach the reliability of the test. This deprived Silkert of a fair hearing on the issue of his eligibility for unemployment compensation, in violation of his due process rights. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is reversed, and we remand this cause to the trial court with instructions to remand this matter to the commission for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I

{¶ 3} Aaron Rents operates a sales and lease business for retail operations. In November 2004, the company hired Jovon Silkert as a manager in training, at its Jacksonville, Florida location. During his employment, Silkert received various promotions, had good evaluations, and had no disciplinary problems. Silkert eventually transferred to a store in Middletown, Ohio, and was subsequently promoted to manager of the Beechmont, Ohio store in early January 2007.

{¶ 4} Because the Beechmont store is located only about ten miles from the Kentucky border, all employees at that store, including the manager, are required to be certified by the United States Department of Transportation (“DOT”). Ohio does not require DOT certification, but Kentucky does. Part of the DOT certification is a physical, which includes a drug test.

{¶ 5} Aaron Rents has a company policy on drugs, which is in the policy manual that all employees sign. The policy provides:

{¶ 6} “Any associate who consumes alcohol, marijuana, or any other dangerous drug during working hours or reports for work after having used or consumed alcohol, marijuana or other dangerous drugs will be subject to immediate dismissal.

{¶ 7} “Aaron Rents, Inc. Is committed to providing a safe, productive work environment for its associates while providing safe, quality services for its customers and the general public. Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol on the job poses serious safety and health risks not only to the user but also to all who work or come in contact with him/her. Additionally, the possession, sale or use of drugs or alcohol in the workplace poses unacceptable risk for safe and [82]*82efficient operations and exposes the Company’s reputation with its customers, suppliers and the communities within which it operates to potential damage.

{¶ 8} “In support of this commitment, Aaron Rents, Inc. has developed the following drug/alcohol policy and testing program.

{¶ 9} “1. EMPLOYMENT: All applicants for employment are required to take and pass a post offer drug test. An applicant who refuses to submit to or who does not pass the test will not be considered for employment. All personnel who will be operating a Company vehicle will be tested in accordance with applicable U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) testing procedures. All other personnel will be tested using a NIDA five-panel screen.

{¶ 10} “2. RANDOM: All associates are subject to testing at any time on a random basis as a term and condition of continued employment.

{¶ 11} “ * * *

{¶ 12} “Any associate covered by this policy who test [sic] positive for the use of drug and/or alcohol or refuses to submit to a test required by this policy will be subject to disciplinary action to include immediate dismissal.” (Emphasis added.)

{¶ 13} Silkert testified in a commission hearing that he had received a copy of the drug and alcohol policy as part of the operations-manager manual in each store. Silkert also indicated that he was familiar with the policy, because he was involved in the hiring process. Silkert stated that when he assumed the manager’s position at the Beechmont store, he was not aware that he would have to take a physical. About two or three weeks later, Shane Andrews, the regional manager, told Silkert that he would have to take a physical. Silkert assumed that there would be a drug test, because the physical was for DOT.

{¶ 14} Silkert took the drug test in early February 2007, and learned several days later that he had tested positive for marijuana. The drug-screen certificate states that the test type is “Non-DOT.”

{¶ 15} Silkert testified that he did not use marijuana while working for Aaron Rents. When Silkert asked the medical review officer for the drug-screening company about contesting the result, he was told to contact his employer. He was not told that he had a right to a split-sample retest. He asked for a copy of the procedure used in the test, but was only provided with a copy of the result, not the procedure followed. When Aaron Rents learned of the test result, Silkert was terminated from employment the same day. Andrews indicated that the company has a drug-free environment policy and that employees are automatically terminated whenever they test positive for drugs.

[83]*83{¶ 16} After he was discharged, Silkert spoke with the regional vice-president, Michael Ryan, to ask how to contest the results. Ryan stated that Aaron Rents did not have a policy on contesting results, and that the only way Silkert could reverse the termination would be to invalidate the test. Ryan indicated that Silkert would have to take that up with the test company.

{¶ 17} When Silkert applied for unemployment compensation, his claim was initially approved, due to Aaron Rents’ failure to provide information about the test results. Aaron Rents appealed the decision, and a hearing was held by a hearing officer for the commission. In late October 2007, the officer issued a decision reversing the allowance of benefits. The officer concluded that Silkert had been discharged for just cause, because he was required to take a drug test, and failed. Aaron Rents, therefore, was justified in terminating Silkert’s employment, pursuant to company rules.

{¶ 18} Silkert requested reconsideration of the decision, but his request was denied. Silkert then appealed to the common pleas court, which affirmed the commission’s decision.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
919 N.E.2d 783, 184 Ohio App. 3d 78, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/silkert-v-ohio-department-of-job-family-services-ohioctapp-2009.