Opinion ID: 2365380
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Tort of Wrongful Discharge

Text: An at-will employee, such as the petitioner, has an employment contract of infinite duration which is terminable for any reason by either party. [3] See Suburban Hosp., Inc. v. Dwiggins, 324 Md. 294, 303, 596 A.2d 1069, 1073 (1991); Adler v. American Standard Corp., 291 Md. 31, 35, 432 A.2d 464, 467(1981). The tort of wrongful discharge is one exception to the well-established principle that an at-will employee may be discharged by his employer for any reason, or no reason at all. [4] See Adler, 291 Md. at 35, 432 A.2d at 467. See also Ewing v. Koppers Co. Inc., 312 Md. 45, 49, 537 A.2d 1173, 1174 (1988) (holding that the tort of wrongful discharge is also available to contractual employees). When this Court recognized the wrongful discharge tort in Adler, 291 Md. at 36-37, 432 A.2d at 467, we joined the growing number of states which have adopted a public policy exception to the common notion of at-will employment by holding, specifically, that an employee who has been discharged in a manner that contravenes public policy may maintain a cause of action for abusive or wrongful discharge against his former employer. 291 Md. at 35-36, 432 A.2d at 467. See, e.g., Luedtke v. Nabors Alaska Drilling, Inc., 768 P.2d 1123, 1130 (Alaska 1989); Wagenseller v. Scottsdale Mem'l Hosp., 147 Ariz. 370, 710 P.2d 1025, 1033 (1985); Sterling Drug, Inc. v. Oxford, 294 Ark. 239, 743 S.W.2d 380, 385 (1988); Tameny v. Atl. Richfield Co., 27 Cal.3d 167, 164 Cal.Rptr. 839, 610 P.2d 1330, 1333 (1980)(citing Petermann v. Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters 174 Cal.App.2d 184, 344 P.2d 25 (1959)); Sheets v. Teddy's Frosted Foods, Inc., 179 Conn. 471, 427 A.2d 385, 387 (1980); Parnar v. Americana Hotels, Inc., 65 Haw. 370, 652 P.2d 625, 631 (1982); Palmateer v. Int'l Harvester Co., 85 Ill.2d 124, 52 Ill.Dec. 13, 421 N.E.2d 876, 878-79 (1981); Frampton v. Central Indiana Gas Co., 260 Ind. 249, 297 N.E.2d 425, 428 (1973); Coleman v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 242 Kan. 804, 752 P.2d 645, 647 (1988); Firestone Textile Co. v. Meadows, 666 S.W.2d 730, 732 (Ky.1983); Luethans v. Washington Univ., 894 S.W.2d 169, 171 n. 2 (Mo.1995)(discussing Boyle v. Vista Eyewear, Inc., 700 S.W.2d 859, 877 (Mo.Ct. App.1985)); Keneally v. Orgain, 186 Mont. 1, 606 P.2d 127, 129-30 (1980); Ambroz v. Cornhusker Square Ltd., 226 Neb. 899, 416 N.W.2d 510, 514-15 (1987); Hansen v. Harrah's, 100 Nev. 60, 675 P.2d 394, 396-97 (1984); Howard v. Dorr Woolen Co., 120 N.H. 295, 414 A.2d 1273, 1274 (1980)(citing Monge v. Beebe Rubber Co., 114 N.H. 130, 316 A.2d 549, 551 (1974)); Chavez v. Manville Products Corp., 108 N.M. 643, 777 P.2d 371, 375 (1989); Coman v. Thomas Mfg. Co., Inc., 325 N.C. 172, 381 S.E.2d 445, 447 (1989); Krein v. Marian Manor Nursing Home, 415 N.W.2d 793, 794-95 (N.D.1987); Burk v. K-Mart Corp., 770 P.2d 24, 28 (Okla.1989); Delaney v. Taco Time Int'l, Inc., 297 Or. 10, 681 P.2d 114, 117 (1984)(citing Nees v. Hocks, 272 Or. 210, 536 P.2d 512 (1975) and Brown v. Transcon Lines, 284 Or. 597, 588 P.2d 1087 (1978)); Geary v. United States Steel Corp., 456 Pa. 171, 319 A.2d 174, 180 (1974); Ludwick v. This Minute of Carolina, Inc., 287 S.C. 219, 337 S.E.2d 213, 216 (1985); Johnson v. Kreiser's, Inc., 433 N.W.2d 225, 227 (S.D.1988); Bowman v. State Bank of Keysville, 229 Va. 534, 331 S.E.2d 797, 801 (1985); Payne v. Rozendaal, 147 Vt. 488, 520 A.2d 586, 589-90 (1986); Thompson v. St. Regis Paper Co., 102 Wash.2d 219, 685 P.2d 1081, 1089 (1984); Harless v. First Nat'l Bank in Fairmont, 162 W.Va. 116, 246 S.E.2d 270, 275 (1978); Brockmeyer v. Dun & Bradstreet, 113 Wis.2d 561, 335 N.W.2d 834, 840 (1983); Griess v. Consolidated Freightways Corp. of Delaware, 776 P.2d 752, 754 (Wyo.1989). [5] Thus, to establish wrongful discharge, the employee must be discharged, the basis for the employee's discharge must violate some clear mandate of public policy, and there must be a nexus between the employee's conduct and the employer's decision to fire the employee. See Wholey, 139 Md.App. at 649, 779 A.2d at 412 (quoting Shapiro v. Massengill, 105 Md.App. 743, 764, 661 A.2d 202, 213 (1995)). That the petitioner was discharged and that the basis for the petitioner's discharge was his investigation of the store manager and subsequent reporting to his supervisors have been clearly established. Our task is to consider whether a clear mandate of public policy exists in Maryland which would prohibit the discharge of an at-will employee for his investigation of suspected criminal activity of a co-worker and reporting to his supervisors thereof. In so considering, we will attempt to clarify the somewhat obscure concept of public policy and the considerations which we believe compel or spurn the adoption of such a mandate.