Title: Melody Manor, Inc. v. McLeod

State: mississippi

Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court

Document:

511 So. 2d 1383 (1987) MELODY MANOR, INC. v. Patricia McLEOD. No. 57037. Supreme Court of Mississippi. August 26, 1987. *1384 Emile C. Ott, Jerrald L. Shivers, Fuselier, Ott, McKee & Walker, Jackson, for appellant. William J. Palmer, Pascagoula, for appellee. Before ROY NOBLE LEE, P.J., and PRATHER and ROBERTSON, JJ. ROY NOBLE LEE, Presiding Justice, for the Court: Melody Manor, Inc. (Melody) appeals from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Greene County ordering unemployment compensation benefits to Patricia McLeod. Melody assigns the following errors committed by the lower court: Appellee Patricia McLeod had worked as a nurse's aide at Melody Manor for one year and eight months, then quit her job. On August 22, 1984, she filed a claim for unemployment compensation benefits, stating that she left work because she had been reduced to part-time status. Upon investigation, the claims examiner recommended disqualification on the ground that appellee voluntarily quit without good cause. On September 11, 1984, he rendered his decision, which provided: Appellee appealed the decision to the Appeals Referee, and a hearing was conducted October 8, 1984. She testified that she had worked as a nurse's aide at Melody Manor for one year and eight months; that she was called to a meeting where her supervisor advised that appellee was being changed to the day shift and to a part-time basis, three days per week, which caused her to lose paid holidays and vacation time; that Mrs. Myrna Green and Mr. Green were also at the meeting; that the change to part-time was due to a lack of trust because of a birthday party given for her in the middle of the time when she had three nights in a row off; that previously she had been working five days a week, at $3.50 per hour, 7 1/2 hrs. per day, totalling $131.00 per week, and that she would have made $78.00 for three days per week. The administrator of Melody Manor testified that at a meeting with appellee, the latter was angry and wanted to discuss an incident at the aforementioned birthday party; that Melody Manor only wanted to change her shift and that there was never any mention of part-time; that Melody Manor never reduced a full-time employee to part-time, unless the employee requested such reduction; that appellee became angry and said she would not be back, but refused to write a resignation. The Appeals Referee then made the following findings of fact and entered his opinion: The Appeals Referee's decision was appealed to the Board of Review which considered the record and issued a decision November 14, 1984, adopting the findings of fact and opinion of the Appeals Referee and affirmed the decision of the referee. Appellee appealed the claim to the Circuit Court of Greene County for a judicial review pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated § 71-5-531 (1972). On November 6, 1985, the circuit court entered judgment reversing the decision of the Board of Review on the ground that it is not supported by substantial evidence and directed the Mississippi Employment Security Commissionn to compute and pay to appellee unemployment compensation benefits. Mississippi Code Annotated § 71-5-531 (1972) provides: The principle is well settled that an order of the Board of Review on the facts is conclusive on the lower court, if supported by substantial evidence and if absent fraud. Wheeler v. Arriola, 408 So. 2d 1381, 1384 (Miss. 1982); Williams v. Mississippi Employment Security Comm'n, 395 So. 2d 964 (Miss. 1981). The scope of review of this Court and that of the circuit court is limited to the finding of the Board of Review. Mississippi Employment Security Comm'n v. Sellers, 505 So. 2d 281 (Miss. 1987); Piggly-Wiggly v. Mississippi Employment Security Comm'n, 465 So. 2d 1062 (Miss. 1985). It is true that a substantial reduction in earnings where a claimant's work hours are reduced to the extent that it would not be feasible to work, if the cost of going to work would be prohibitive, could amount to a termination of employment. Tate v. Miss. Employment Security Comm'n, 407 So. 2d 109, 111 (Miss. 1981) (where claimant's work hours were reduced by approximately 50% and below the cost of hiring an individual to care for her children while she worked). Nevertheless, we are of the opinion that there was substantial evidence to support the finding and decision of the Appeals Referee, and that the lower court erred in reversing that finding and decision. *1386 The judgment of the lower court is reversed, and the decision of the Appeals Referee is reinstated. REVERSED AND RENDERED. WALKER, C.J., HAWKINS, P.J., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON and GRIFFIN, JJ., concur. DAN M. LEE, J., dissents without written opinion.