Opinion ID: 874358
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: The District Court Properly Granted PMC Summary Judgment on Van's Breach of Employment Contract Claim

Text: Van asserts that he demonstrated the existence of an issue of material fact by presenting evidence that he had been fired in contravention of the Whistleblower Act, which establishes the public policy upon which he bases his claim for breach of at-will employment contract. Generally, an employer may discharge an at-will employee at any time for any reason without incurring liability. Jenkins v. Boise Cascade Corp., 141 Idaho 233, 240, 108 P.3d 380, 387 (2005). However, the right to discharge an at-will employee is limited by considerations of public policy, such as when the motivation for the firing contravenes public policy. Mallonee, 139 Idaho at 621, 84 P.3d at 557. The determination of what constitutes public policy sufficient to protect an at-will employee from termination is a question of law. Id. The public policy exception to the employment at-will doctrine has been held to protect employees who refuse to commit unlawful acts, who perform important public obligations, or who exercise certain legal rights and privileges. Id. An employer may not discharge an at-will employee without cause when the discharge would violate public policy. Id. Once the court defines the public policy, the question of whether the public policy was violated is one for the jury. Smith v. Mitton, 140 Idaho 893, 900, 104 P.3d 367, 374 (2004). Van insists that, in addition to giving rise to his Whistleblower Act claim, termination in violation of the Whistleblower Act also gives rise to a breach of contract claim by way of the public policy exception to the at-will doctrine. However, when the Legislature enacted the Whistleblower Act, the resulting statutory cause of action displaced the common law cause of action for breach of an at-will employment contract premised on the protected activities outlined in the Act. See I.C. § 6-2105(4) (outlining what constitutes a protected activity); 82 AM.JUR. 2D Wrongful Discharge § 62 (2009) (stating that when the relevant public policy is contained in a statute and the statute provides a remedy, the [common law cause of action] of wrongful discharge is not available.). Idaho's Whistleblower Act provides for specific remedies for violations of the Act, including civil fines and attorney fees. See I.C. §§ 6-2106 & 2107. Under the Act a court is authorized to order any or all of the following: (1) An injunction to restrain continued violation of the provisions of [the] act; (2) The reinstatement of the employee to the same position held before the adverse action, or to an equivalent position; (3) The reinstatement of full fringe benefits and seniority rights; (4) The compensation for lost wages, benefits and other remuneration; (5) The payment by the employer of reasonable costs and attorneys' fees; (6) An assessment of a civil fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) I.C § 6-2106. Clearly, the Act itself authorizes specific remedies, and therefore its provisions cannot also be used to establish the public policy upon which a breach of at-will employment contract claim is based. To hold otherwise would allow plaintiffs to recover twice for the same underlying facts. The district court properly granted summary judgment on Van's breach of employment contract claim.