Opinion ID: 597505
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Pretermination Process

Text: 24 The district court initially found that appellant had received constitutionally adequate pretermination and post-termination procedures. The district court correctly noted that such process need not be elaborate but must, at a minimum, provide the employee with notice of the charges or reasons for his discharge, an explanation of the evidence against him and an opportunity to present his side of the story. Loudermill, 470 U.S. at 545, 105 S.Ct. at 1495. Regarding the pretermination procedures, the district court found that the meetings participated in between appellant and Appellee Gaines afforded adequate pretermination process because appellant was put on notice that Appellee Gaines was concerned with [his] conduct ... [and] given an adequate opportunity to explain his side of the story. We disagree with the district court's conclusion. 25 We believe implicit in the notice and opportunity to be heard elements is the requirement that the employee be made aware that his employment is in jeopardy of termination. Under the facts pled by appellant, he was never advised that such meetings were for the purpose of considering a termination decision, and when he asked the nature of the proceedings, Appellee Gaines became angry and left the meeting. Prior to Gaines' exit, it would have been reasonable to infer that such meetings were for the purpose of discussing modifications to appellant's employment contract through the addition of performance objectives, rather than a proceeding to discuss the appropriateness of a termination decision. 6 26 Considering the factual record in the light most favorable to appellant, we cannot conclude that appellant was provided constitutionally adequate pretermination process. Accordingly, we REVERSE that portion of the district court's judgment that found appellant received a constitutionally adequate pretermination hearing.