Opinion ID: 49096
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: He looked at the stock tank every day as

Text: Cunningham worked for RMC in various DQ strode across the pastures; it was almanagement positions, including, during the most dry, just a little murky water left in it. time in question, as district manager of the But the cows didn’t get sick too often, and area that included the Dairy Queen store in when they did, he’d just call the vet. After Gorman, Texas. A month before Cunning- all, it didn’t cost him anything, and the boss ham’s employment with RMC was terminated, probably would never know Gorman had RMC’s owner and Chairman of the Board, spent the money. Doris Richeson, sent a memorandum to Cun- ningham and a copy to all of RMC’s other su- Gorman thought Pumper Daddy used to be pervisors. This memo, which serves as the on- a pumper in the oil field, but these days he ly basis for Cunningham’s i.i.e.d. claim,1 states just sold a few tools now and then. Gorin full as follows: man never knew exactly where Pamper Daddy got the tools, but the boss didn’t Lazy cowboy left in saddle too long seem to mind if he got a few now and then. Of course, some of them were just a-layin’ (GRAHAM, TEXAS) SS You could tell he out there in the cowshed. was a little lazy, just the way he slumped and rocked along in the saddle. His clothes There were rumors, too, about Gorman’s were dirty too, but we wondered whether it family problems. Or maybe they weren’t was hard work, or just not caring how he even a family, just a society of fair weather looked. friends. His name was Gorman something-or-other, But nobody did anything about Gorman. and years back someone had named the Probably didn’t want to have to go out and horse he called his nag DQ. fix the problem. Just let Gorman’s nag go wherever he wanted to slog along. One thing, he just couldn’t seem to round up enough cows to make a difference. Everyone was so nice. Finally even GorThen the boss started noticing there were man got tired of being petted and coddled, no checks coming in when Gorman should and having his chuck wagon meals regular, have been taking cows to market. And with plenty of hay and soft feed for poor items were missing without explanation. old DQ. But he didn’t really want to go to And sometimes the other cowboys didn’t work and earn his keep. seem to be working when they were paid to work. So Gorman cooked up a scheme with one of his fair weather friends, and just left. Course he knew his paycheck would be 1 To find that RMC intentionally inflicted emo- coming anyway. But he could go ahead tional distress on Cunningham, the jury considered and get that and maybe no work would fall the memo as the sole evidence. The jury was into his life. asked, “By issuing the ‘Lazy Cowboy’ memo, did Richeson Management intentionally inflict emo- Gorman hadn’t kept the cows fed and tional distress on Cunningham?” 2 worked. He couldn’t even remember that beyond all possible bounds of decency, and to a cow needed help to produce offspring, be regarded as atrocious, and utterly intoleraand without offspring, it would be a long ble in a civilized community.’” Id. (quoting winter indeedSSmaybe a couple of them, Twyman v. Twyman, 855 S.W.2d 619, 621 since the herd had been damaged irrepara- (Tex. 1993) (quotation omitted)). bly. The hay and the feed had to come from somewhere. But Gorman would suf- The Texas Supreme Court has held that a fer no ill; he’d just be on his way. supervisor’s constant humiliating and abusive behavior toward an employee constituted ex- This lazy cowboy was left in the saddle too treme and outrageous conduct. In GTE long. Wonder why? Was no one ready to roll Southwest, Inc. v. Bruce, 998 S.W.2d 605, up their sleeves and handle the situation? ## 613-17 (Tex. 1999), an employer engaged in “constant humiliating and abusive behavior” SSDoris Richeson and “constantly harassed and intimidated” his employees. Id. at 608. “The employees com- RMC argues that this memorandum is not ex- plained about [the supervisor’s] daily use of treme and outrageous and thus is insufficient profanity, short temper, and his abusive and to constitute i.i.e.d. under Texas law, so the vulgar dictatorial manner. The employees district court should have granted j.m.l. complained that, among other offensive acts, [he] repeatedly yelled, screamed, cursed, and