Opinion ID: 779832
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Sander voluntarily resigned

Text: 9 No. 10-6120, Sander v. Gray Television Group, Inc. The district court correctly held, as a matter of law, that Sander voluntarily resigned from his position as a reporter at WKYT. Sander’s own words and actions support the district court’s determination that Sander voluntarily terminated his employment with Gray Television Group, Inc. First, Sander told three different individuals at work—Hall, Thomas, and Wolfe—that he planned on quitting. Even though Hall did not believe that Sander seriously intended to quit, R.63, Hall Dep. at 19-20, this does not change the fact that Sander explicitly expressed this intent. Similarly, telling his direct supervisor, Thomas, “now you have the money [Sander’s salary] that you have been trying to get for so long,” R. 72, Thomas Dep. at 174, strongly conveys that Sander intended to leave Gray Television permanently. Second, Sander told his wife, Karen, that he had told Wolfe that he “was quitting.” R.66, Sander Dep. at 179-80. Third, according to a Herald Leader news article discussing the lawsuit, “Sander said he told one person at the station, Martin’s secretary, that he quit but later called to say that he was emotional and didn’t mean it.” R.53-13, Lexington Herald Leader Article, at 3. According to Sander’s own recollection of the events, he intended to quit, and it was reasonable for the people around him to believe that he was resigning. Sander argues that because he told no one in a position in authority that he planned to quit, he did not officially resign his position. However, Sander did tell Thomas, his direct supervisor, that he was quitting, and Thomas believed he had quit after Sander left the station during the middle of the workday. R.72, Thomas Dep. at 136. Although Thomas admitted that after speaking with Sander’s wife he knew that Sander “didn’t mean to quit,” Id. at 140-141, this does not change the fact that Sander’s actions the morning of February 21 indicated that he had quit. In addition, Sander told General Manager Wayne Martin’s assistant, Deanna Wolfe, that he was going to quit, and it 10 No. 10-6120, Sander v. Gray Television Group, Inc. would be unreasonable to think that she would not report this to her boss. Wolfe even told Sander that she was going to have to “pass[ ] along that information” to both Martin and Thomas. R. 69, Wolfe Dep. at 17. Sander also claims that “a jury could . . . conclude that Gray Television could not have accepted Sander’s resignation . . . based on Martin’s assurances to Sander on February 21, 2008.” Appellant Br. at 12. Though Sander states that Martin told him that he had not lost his job, Martin testified that he simply had a “situation where at least two people told me Jerry resigned and Jerry’s telling me he didn’t mean to resign and he wanted his job back. So I set up a meeting on Monday.” R. 65, Martin Dep. at 70. When Martin presented Sander with the four options available to Gray Television at the Monday, February 25, 2008, meeting, Martin believed that Sander had resigned and that accepting his resignation was a valid course of action for Gray Television. Id. Sander further argues that Martin had “never met with any other resigning employee to discuss different options including staying at WKYT,” Appellant Br. at 24 (emphasis in the original), and that this is sufficient evidence that Sander had not resigned. However, Sander’s situation was likely unique, and that Martin may have wanted to give Sander a chance to explain himself after his years of service. R.65, Martin Dep. at 78. Sander relies on the fact that Thomas had suspended Sander and that Sander also reasonably believed that Thomas intended to fire him. Again, these claims do not change the implications of Sander’s own words and actions. Even if Sander had been suspended, this does not mean that he could not quit; nothing suggests that an employee on suspension cannot offer his resignation. Similarly, Sander’s belief that Thomas was going to fire him does not alter the fact that Sander 11 No. 10-6120, Sander v. Gray Television Group, Inc. preemptively quit and told Thomas, before Thomas could say anything about firing him, that Thomas now had Sander’s income at his disposal. R. 72, Thomas Dep. at 174. Sander tries to explain his actions by suggesting that he had no intention of quitting but was “simply vent[ing]” to co-workers because he was “distraught.” Appellant Br. at 24; Reply Br. at 7. During his deposition, Sander states that after leaving the station he was so upset, his wife had to call WKYT to explain that he “didn’t mean to say that he was quitting.” R. 66, Sander Dep. at 179-184. However, the fact that Sander’s wife had to call to explain that he “didn’t mean to quit” instead suggests that reasonable people could have interpreted Sander’s words and actions, such as throwing paper and leaving the station, as a clear indication that he had quit. The district court correctly determined that, even if Sander was upset, “[a]n employee is not entitled to walk out on a job merely because he cannot control his temper.” R.86, District Court Order, at 13. Sander also asserts that he could not have resigned because he could not unilaterally terminate his agreement without written notice to Gray Television. However, the provision of the employee handbook upon which Sander relies, that an employee must give a “two-week written notice of the intent to terminate employment,” refers to unused vacation time. R.57-4, Employee Handbook at 2. There is nothing in the handbook or in the agreement to suggest that an employee at Gray Television could not terminate his employment without providing written notice. Finally, Sander hypothesizes that Gray Television “exaggerat[ed]” his frustrations and “fabricat[ed] a ‘quit’ out of his actions” because Gray Television needed to cut expenses. However, as the district court reasoned, Sander’s argument “ignores the fact that Sander refused an assignment and admitted telling two people he quit.” R.86, District Court Order at 13. When asked if Sander’s 12 No. 10-6120, Sander v. Gray Television Group, Inc. termination was related to a desire to cut expenses, Martin responded that Sander’s leaving “had to do with him quitting and me believing that allowing him to return would very much undermine the management of the newsroom and set a precedent allowing someone to quit, after refusing . . . a routine assignment.” R. 65, Martin Dep. at 113. Sander’s actions, and his own account of what happened on February 21 and 25, 2008, support the district court’s determination that there was no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Sander voluntarily resigned his position as a reporter at WKYT.