T. McNeil v. UCBR

CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 1, 2017
DocketT. McNeil v. UCBR - 955 C.D. 2016
StatusUnpublished

This text of T. McNeil v. UCBR (T. McNeil v. UCBR) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
T. McNeil v. UCBR, (Pa. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Troy McNeil, : Petitioner : : v. : : Unemployment Compensation : Board of Review, : No. 955 C.D. 2016 Respondent : Submitted: January 20, 2017

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION PER CURIAM FILED: May 1, 2017

Troy McNeil (Claimant) petitions this Court, pro se, for review of the Unemployment Compensation (UC) Board of Review’s (UCBR) April 15, 2016 order affirming the Referee’s decision denying him UC benefits under Section 402(e) of the UC Law (Law).1 There are two issues for this Court’s review: (1) whether the UCBR erred by determining that Claimant committed willful misconduct, and (2) whether the UCBR erred by disallowing evidence in support of Claimant’s case.2 After review, we affirm.

1 Act of December 5, 1936, Second Ex.Sess., P.L. (1937) 2897, as amended, 43 P.S. § 802(e) (referring to willful misconduct). 2 In his Statement of Questions Involved, Claimant presented fifteen questions specifically directed to Employer, several of which (i.e., those relating to Claimant’s communications and actions on December 31, 2015 and January 1, 2016) are subsumed within the willful misconduct issue. The other questions Claimant posed were not developed in Claimant’s argument. “Arguments not properly developed in a brief will be deemed waived by this Court.” Rapid Pallet v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 707 A.2d 636, 638 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1998). Claimant also raised three issues expressly addressed to the Referee concerning the conduct of the hearing, one (i.e., whether the Referee disregarded his additional evidence) is subsumed within the second issue, and the other two (i.e., whether Claimant was afforded ample time to present his case, and whether the Referee asked Claimant if he was “thin-skinned”) were not developed in Claimant’s argument and, thus, are waived. Rapid Pallet. Claimant was employed part-time (approximately 18 hours per week) as a sous chef/cook for Anthony’s Catering South, Inc. (Employer) from March 2015 through January 5, 2016, when Employer discharged him. Claimant applied for UC benefits. On January 28, 2016, the Erie UC Service Center determined that Claimant was eligible for UC benefits in accordance with Section 402(e) of the Law. Employer appealed. A Referee hearing was held on March 4, 2016. On March 9, 2016, the Referee reversed the UC Service Center’s determination, and denied Claimant UC benefits under Section 402(e) of the Law. Claimant appealed to the UCBR. On April 15, 2016, the UCBR adopted the Referee’s findings and conclusions, and affirmed the Referee’s decision. Claimant appealed to this Court.3 Initially,

Section 402(e) of the Law provides that an employee is ineligible for unemployment compensation benefits when his unemployment is due to discharge from work for willful misconduct connected to his work. The employer bears the burden of proving willful misconduct in an unemployment compensation case. Willful misconduct has been defined as (1) an act of wanton or willful disregard of the employer’s interest; (2) a deliberate violation of the employer’s rules; (3) a disregard of standards of behavior which the employer has a right to expect of an employee; or (4) negligence

3 “Our scope of review is limited to determining whether constitutional rights were violated, whether an error of law was committed, or whether the findings of fact were unsupported by substantial evidence. Section 704 of the Administrative Agency Law, 2 Pa.C.S. § 704.” Turgeon v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 64 A.3d 729, 731 n.3 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013). However,

[i]n a case such as this, where the party with the burden of proof succeeds on the merits before the [UCBR], our scope of review is limited to a determination of whether substantial evidence exists in the record to support the [UCBR’s] findings and whether any errors of law were committed. Fritz v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 446 A.2d 330, 332 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1982).

2 indicating an intentional disregard of the employer’s interest or a disregard of the employee’s duties and obligations to the employer.

Dep’t of Transp. v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 755 A.2d 744, 747 n.4 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2000) (citation omitted). “If the employer satisfies its burden, the burden shifts to the employee to show that he . . . had good cause for his . . . conduct. ‘A claimant has good cause if his . . . actions are justifiable and reasonable under the circumstances.’” Grand Sport Auto Body v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 55 A.3d 186, 190 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2012) (citation omitted) (quoting Docherty v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 898 A.2d 1205, 1208-09 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006)). Ultimately, “[t]he question of whether conduct rises to the level of willful misconduct is a question of law to be determined by this Court.” Scott v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 105 A.3d 839, 844 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2014). The law is well established that:

[T]he [UCBR] is the ultimate fact-finder in unemployment compensation matters and is empowered to resolve all conflicts in evidence, witness credibility, and weight accorded the evidence. It is irrelevant whether the record contains evidence to support findings other than those made by the fact-finder; the critical inquiry is whether there is evidence to support the findings actually made. Where substantial evidence supports the [UCBR’s] findings, they are conclusive on appeal.

Ductmate Indus., Inc. v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 949 A.2d 338, 342 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2008) (citations omitted). This Court has explained:

Substantial evidence is relevant evidence upon which a reasonable mind could base a conclusion. In deciding whether there is substantial evidence to support the [UCBR’s] findings, this Court must examine the testimony in the light most favorable to the prevailing party, in this case, the Employer, giving that party the benefit of any inferences which can logically and reasonably be drawn from the evidence.

3 Sanders v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 739 A.2d 616, 618 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1999). Here, the UCBR adopted the Referee’s findings that:

2. During this employment [Employer’s] Executive Chef [Daniel Brodeur (Brodeur)] treated [] Claimant well and considered [] Claimant to be a [f]riend. 3. On December 31, 2015 [] Claimant was one of three [c]hefs scheduled to service a wedding with 300 [g]uests. 4. Labor at the wedding was intensive because of the number of [g]uests and because [Brodeur] needed [c]hefs to man several food stations. 5. The wedding was scheduled to last until 1:00 a.m. 6. However, at 5:03 p.m.

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Related

Docherty v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
898 A.2d 1205 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2006)
Pallet v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
707 A.2d 636 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1998)
Commonwealth v. Adams
882 A.2d 496 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2005)
Woods v. OFFICE OF OPEN RECORDS
998 A.2d 665 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2010)
Eshbach v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
855 A.2d 943 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2004)
Smithley v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
8 A.3d 1027 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2010)
D.Z. v. Bethlehem Area School District
2 A.3d 742 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2010)
Sanders v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
739 A.2d 616 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1999)
Ductmate Industries, Inc. v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
949 A.2d 338 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2008)
Grand Sport Auto Body v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
55 A.3d 186 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2012)
Ellis v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
59 A.3d 1159 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2013)
Turgeon v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
64 A.3d 729 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2013)
Scott v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
105 A.3d 839 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2014)
Fritz v. Commonwealth, Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
446 A.2d 330 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1982)
Tongel v. Commonwealth, Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
501 A.2d 716 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1985)

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Bluebook (online)
T. McNeil v. UCBR, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/t-mcneil-v-ucbr-pacommwct-2017.