Opinion ID: 1235380
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: General Legal Principles Governing Teachout's Wrongful Discharge Claim.

Text: The parties agree that Teachout is an employee at will. Even an employee at will, however, may not be terminated for a reason contrary to public policy. See Lockhart v. Cedar Rapids Community Sch. Dist., 577 N.W.2d 845, 846 (Iowa 1998). When an employee is terminated for a reason that violates a well-established public policy, the employee has a remedy for damages. See Springer v. Weeks & Leo Co., 429 N.W.2d 558, 559-60 (Iowa 1988). To recover damages under these circumstances, a plaintiff must establish (1) engagement in a protected activity, (2) adverse employment action, and (3) a causal connection between the two. Cf. Hulme v. Barrett, 480 N.W.2d 40, 42 (Iowa 1992) (discussing prima facie case for statutory retaliatory discharge claim under Iowa's civil rights law). There is no dispute that Teachout suffered an adverse employment decisionher termination as a teacher's assistant. The controversy in this case is whether there is evidence to support a finding that Teachout engaged in a protected activity and whether this activity was causally linked to her discharge. We address these issues separately.