Opinion ID: 6938561
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: After-Acquired Evidence of Resume Fraud and the Wrongful Discharge Claim

Text: On June 15, 1981, Hyatt completed an employment application for an engineering position at Northrop. The application form requested that the applicant list “all jobs during the past ten years” and to “account for all periods of military service and unemployment.” It required that the applicant certify the truth of the information provided and informed the applicant that he would be “subject to dismissal at any time” if Northrop discovered that anything on the application was untrue. During the discovery phase of the present case, Northrop discovered that Hyatt had made false representations on his employment application regarding his employment history. Northrop moved for partial summary judgment on Hyatt’s state wrongful discharge claim, arguing that Hyatt’s false representations on his employment application should bar his recovery. The district court denied Northrop’s motion. The case proceeded to trial on Hyatt’s state claims for wrongful discharge and intentional infliction of emotional distress. On March 15, 1994, the jury ruled in Hyatt’s favor on his state wrongful discharge claim, and found for Northrop on Hyatt’s claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress. On April 14, 1994, Hyatt filed an appeal of the district court’s dismissal of his FCA qui tam claim and grant of summary judgment for Northrop on his FCA discharged employee protection claim. On April 28, 1994, Northrop filed a cross-appeal of the district court’s denial of its motion for partial summary judgment on Hyatt’s state law claim for wrongful discharge.