Case Title: Coleman v. CHEVRON PASCAGOULA FEDERAL CREDIT UN.

Citation: 616 So. 2d 310

Docket Number: 90-CA-1069

State: mississippi

Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Date: 1993-03-25T00:00:00Z

Document:
616 So. 2d 310 (1993) Lanette J. COLEMAN v. CHEVRON PASCAGOULA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, Patricia R. Crawford, Individually and in Her Official Capacity. No. 90-CA-1069. Supreme Court of Mississippi. March 25, 1993. David C. Frazier, Gordon Frazier & Roberts, Pascagoula, for appellant. Ernest R. Schroeder, Bryan Nelson Schroeder Backstrom Castigliola & Banahan, Beau A. Stewart, Bryan Nelson Firm, Pascagoula, for appellees. Before HAWKINS, C.J., and McRAE and ROBERTS, JJ. HAWKINS, Chief Justice, for the Court: This appeal comes to us from a judgment in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Mississippi, dismissing the complaint of Lanette J. Coleman upon a Rule 12(b) motion of Chevron Pascagoula Federal Credit Union, et al., (Chevron Credit Union). Chevron Credit Union had in effect an employment manual from which, in the present posture of the case, it cannot be determined whether it was followed or violated in discharging Coleman. We accordingly reverse for further proceedings. Coleman was fired on March 23, 1989, following seven years of employment with Chevron Credit Union. When she was employed she was given a copy of a policy and procedure manual given to all Chevron Credit Union employees. The manual stated, in pertinent part: And, on the page outlining disciplinary actions, in the section entitled "Procedure": One of the following actions will be taken. Coleman was discharged without reference to the manual. In Bobbitt v. The Orchard, Ltd., 603 So. 2d 356 (Miss. 1992), we held that even though an employee's manual might not give tenure or a right to continued employment, it at least required an employer to follow its own manual in disciplining or discharging an employee. At this stage of this action, this cannot be determined. Complaints should not be dismissed upon a Rule 12(b) motion to dismiss unless, after taking the allegations in the complaint to be true, it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff will be unable to prove any set of facts in support of his claim which entitles him to relief. Overstreet v. Merlos, 570 So. 2d 1196, 1197 (Miss. 1990); DeFoe v. Great Southern Nat'l Bank, 547 So. 2d 786, 787 (Miss. 1989). Reversed and remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion. REVERSED AND REMANDED. DAN M. LEE and PRATHER, P.JJ., and SULLIVAN, PITTMAN, BANKS, McRAE, ROBERTS and SMITH, JJ., CONCUR.