Opinion ID: 1314500
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Tempus fugit.

Text: The elapse of time since the pro and con opinions of this Court were issued in Clement v. Farmers Ins. Exchange [1] is just six months short of ten years. The Court was divided three-to-two against Clement, with Chief Justice Shepard writing for the majority, joined by Justices Bakes and Johnson. Justice Huntley wrote the lead dissenting opinion in which, over thirteen columns of printed pages, he carefully documented the salient errors observed in the majority opinion and his conviction that there is no difference between employees at will and independent contractors where a bad faith termination is involved. Therefore the limited protection afforded by law applies equally to both. Anderson v. Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. of Idaho, 112 Idaho 461, 468, 732 P.2d 699, 706 (1987). Clement, 115 Idaho at 306, 766 P.2d at 776. Justice Huntley's efforts at stemming the majority's tide were not an impulsive thought, but in reality a veritable treatise. Therein he cited to and laid out in full the provisions of I.C. § 72-1302, Declaration of State Public Policy. 115 Idaho at 307, 766 P.2d at 777. Following that excerpt he quoted from this Court's earlier statement in Custom Meat Packing Co. v. Martin, 85 Idaho 374, 384, 379 P.2d 664, 670 (1963), that the policy of the Employment Security Law is to encourage the employer and employee to adjust their differences and thus avoid interrupting the employment.